Fortress
by daydreamer10101
Summary: When Lois is attacked and brought the the Fortress to be healed, Clark has two choices: erase her memory or explain to her who this Kal-El is that everyone keeps talking about. Clois.
1. Chapter 1

**First attempt at a multi-chapter fic. Set in season 8. Please tell me what you think!**

**Lois's POV**

"What do you mean, 'the mayor has no comment?" she barked into the phone on her desk. "He's the _mayor_! Why wouldn't he have a comment about the recent death count in his own city? You better tell him that Lois Lane is on the phone, and I won't hesitate to make sure a very unflattering article about him makes the front page. I – Hello? Hello?"

She slammed down phone back down on the cradle with an irritated sigh. _No comment my ass._

"Problems, Lois?"

She didn't bother to look up at the handsome face grinning at her from across the desk.

It had been one week since Lois had returned to Metropolis from Star City. She had spent almost a month trapped – well, not exactly _trapped_, seeing as she'd willingly gone there – in a hospital looking after Jimmy, while Clark was off hunting down whatever had snatched Chloe from her wedding and injured Jimmy in the first place. And to make matters worse, he'd been here with _Lana Lang_.

Just the very words made her suppress a growl. Originally, Lois had had nothing against Lana. Sure, she had always been a little too sugar princess for Lois' taste, but she had still liked her. But that had been at the beginning. After watching Clark get tortured by Lana's relationship with Lex, her opinion of Lana had plummeted. But for Clark's sake, she had kept her mouth shut; it was obvious how much he loved her, despite her twisted thing with Lex. It was a good thing she _hadn't_ said anything either; after Lana and Lex's messy relationship had ended, Clark, with the impossibly large heart he had, had basically taken her back like nothing had ever happened. And what had Lana done after that?

She'd run away and broken it off with him. Using a _DVD_. For the life of her, Lois couldn't figure out who did something like that. Who purposely goes and breaks the heart of a guy like Clark? The farm boy may have dress issues, and he may be a little annoying, but…

She sighed. But what? Clark wasn't _like_ the other guys she had known. He had a heart of gold that shone through in him every day. He always cared about people, forgave them, even when they may not deserve it. His overwhelming sense of trust is something Lois both envied and pitied. She couldn't fathom what it would be like to be able to put trust in people and not worry about a betrayal or heartbreak down the road. She had too much experience that told her that giving that much trust, giving that much of _yourself_, only led to pain. The thing that was the most amazing was that Clark _had _had his heart broken, and he still had the overwhelming ability to see the good in people, to give them a second chance. She'd never met anyone quite like him. He pushed all of her buttons, drove her crazy, and yet was always there when she needed him.

Maybe that was why she was in love with him.

_Ugh. Don't even try to go down that road again, Lane,_ she thought to herself. She didn't want to remind herself of the pain she'd experienced during the past few months. Being in love with someone who didn't feel the same way was hard.

At least, she didn't think Clark felt the same way. They had never had actually talked about it. Lois remembered the kiss that had almost taken place at the wedding with a shiver. Hadn't _that_ signified something? He'd leaned in too, hadn't he? But then again, that had been before Lana had come back into his life.

_Lana's gone now, though_, a voice in the back of her head reminded her. _Right?_

That thought floated around in her head for a minute, causing Lois to become very aware that both she and Clark were alone on their floor in the Daily Planet; their workday had run long past schedule.

_Calm your hormones, Lane._ She shook her head and tried to focus back on the task at hand: the article.

"The mayor is stonewalling us," Lois said, looking up at Clark. Her heart fluttered when his blue eyes met her hazel ones.

_Stop that,_ she scolded. _Oh great, now I'm talking to my organs._

Clark smiled. "Well you _were_ yelling at them."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Have I taught you nothing, Smallville? Sometimes you have to apply pressure if you want anything done. You have to push some buttons."

"It's a good thing that Tess assigned _you_ to do this article then. You push people's buttons better than anyone." His grin broadened.

Lois scowled; partly because of his comment, and partly because of the way her stomach was doing back flips at the sight of his smile. "I'm starting to think that the way to get this exposé is to get to the heart of the story."

Clark's grin vanished. "I hope you aren't planning on patrolling alleys or something in an attempt to find out what's causing all these murders."

"Not alleys, no…"

"Lois, I don't want you wandering around alone at night. Crime has increased ten percent in the last _month_. And the death toll lately… Just promise me you aren't planning on doing anything dangerous or stupid."

"Worried about me Smallville?"

His answer was short and to the point. "Yes."

Dutifully ignoring the shiver that crept up her spine, she tried to distract herself by playing with some folders at the edge of her desk. A sudden hiss crackled from a police radio on one of desks.

"_Calling all available units to Pulse nightclub on Robson Street. Reports of a large disturbance with multiple armed suspects."_

Jackpot! Lois' eyes lit up at the prospect of another story. She turned and grabbed a notebook and her coat. "Grab your coat, Smallville. We're going –"

But when she turned, Clark was no where to be seen. Lois trailed off, searching the bullpen. Why did he always seem to disappear when things got interesting? Frustrated, she snatched her purse off the desk and stomped her way to the elevator, pushing the down button with unnecessary force. Lois chewed on her lip as the floor numbers flashed by. If Clark was going to insist on disappearing, then she was just going to have to go without him.

And Smallville was just going to have to deal with it.

Lois made her way out of the Daily Planet and down the now darkened streets of Metropolis, grumbling to herself the whole way.

"Would it kill him to tell me where he's going every once in a while?" she mumbled. "I mean, not that I care where he goes, but a heads up that he's leaving the room and disappearing would be nice."

Lois slowed her rushed pace to a slow walk. Where had she parked her car? She struggled to remember, but the only events of the morning that she could remember where finding out about the big new assignment Tess I'm-so-mighty Mercer was giving her, and the fact that Smallville had picked up a large coffee from the Talon for her and left it on her desk. The sweet gesture hadn't been lost on Lois. But that was her farm boy… sweet was his thing.

_YOUR farm boy?_ she thought, alarmed. _THE farm boy. THE. Why do you keep _doing_ that?_

She shook her head to clear the Clark-centric thoughts from it. This had no effect whatsoever.

_Great Lois. Just great._

She turned down a small alleyway, remembering that her car was on the other side. The alley was empty, so Clark could hardly complain. Despite this, Lois sped up a bit, hurrying towards her car that was visible on the other side. She jumped back a second later when two figures appeared at the end of the alley, blocking her exit. She slowed to a stop, hesitant.

"Hey baby," one of the two called. Lois turned around to find that the other exit was blocked by two more goons. She tensed.

"Look," she called, her voice steady. "I've had a very long day, so I wouldn't exactly recommend making it worse."

"Aw. I'll make it better honey," one of the sleaze balls said as they approached slowly. Lois held back a noise of disgust.

One of them reached out, grabbing her arm. Years of experience and instinct kicked in. She jerked back, twisting his arm. He cried out in pain and she punched him. Releasing her quickly, he hit the ground with a howl. She turned to make a break for it, but another blocked her way. Desperate, she kicked out roundhouse style. He hit the ground as quick as the last.

Freedom! She could see her car at the end of the alley. Lois jerked forward, ready to break into a run. She only had to reach the car…

And then she saw stars. Not the pretty ones spread out against the Metropolis sky, but right in front of her, exploding in her vision. She felt pain radiate through the back of her head as blackness consumed her. Judging by the dim ringing sound in the background Lois guessed that they had hit her with something metal. A crow bar maybe. Or a pipe.

Lois' knees hit the ground, her eyelids heavy. Dimly, she felt more blows rain down on her. Something cracked loudly, and she felt a sharp burning pain in her chest. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that if she was fully conscious, this would have been even more painful than it already was. As thoughts faded away, she heard shouts of surprise from the other two thugs. Hearing them running was the last thing she was aware of before she gave up completely, and knew nothing more.

* * *

Lois was comfortable. _Really_ comfortable. The kind of comfortable that usually came from being curled up on a cold winter's day, warm and cozy in bed.

For a moment, that's exactly where she thought she was. Like maybe the criminals in the alley were just a caffeine induced dream, and she would wake to find that Clark was calling her apartment to tell her that she had slept way past her alarm. Her hand reached out to pull the blanket tighter – just a comfort thing; she wasn't cold. But her fingers clasped around nothing but air. Confused, Lois wriggled her feet, hoping to kick the blankets up towards the rest of her body. But her feet kicked nothing but air.

_What the hell?_ She pried open her eyes.

And she was in heaven.

Lois's eyes wheeled around in shock. This place… she knew this place. She had _seen_ this place. After the helicopter carrying her and Martha Kent had crashed on Dark Thursday, she had briefly seen what she believed to be heaven; a beautiful white palace made of ice. It had been gorgeous. Above anything, Lois had wanted to stay there. This place had made her feel safe, and at home. But soon after, she'd been ripped away from heaven and it was back to earth for her.

Not that she was complaining, of course. One of the first things Lois had seen after waking up was Smallville. Her farm boy at her bedside, telling her he was glad that she was okay. She had told him about this place. He was the only one she'd told.

Smallville! The thought sent waves of anguish crashing through her. If she was dead, that meant she wouldn't see him again. No more farmhouse, no more Daily Planet, and no more Clark. Her heart broke.

_No. No, no, no!_

What made it worse was that she knew Clark would blame himself for her death. If she really was here, if she really was dead this time, Clark would find a way to make it his fault, despite the fact that it had been her own decision to walk through Metropolis alone at night.

This realization pushed the knife even deeper into her chest. She sat up slowly, pushing her hair out of her eyes and shaking. "Smallville, oh _Smallville. _What did I do?"

"_Lois Lane._"

The sudden, ringing voice made her jump, and she tumbled off the icy ledge she had been lying on. As she landed, she noticed the long white dress that had replaced her knee length skirt and blue blouse. Lois stared at it in confusion, her brow pinching. "Huh. What's with the wardrobe malfunction?"

"_Lois Lane." _

She stood slowly, searching for the source of the voice. "Um… God?"

"_I am Jor-El, of the house of El. It is nice to meet you at long last."_

"Uh, okay." Her eyes studied the cavernous surroundings. "I… Is this heaven?"

"_This is a representation of the environment on the planet Krypton,_" the voice answered, as though that explained everything.

"Where are you?" she asked, turning around.

"_I have no physical presence. I am a disembodied presence,"_ was the reply. This time she noticed the voice coming from all around her.

Lois blinked. Okay, sure. So maybe she hadn't died. Maybe she'd gone insane.

She barked out a quick laugh. "Um, okay. And when do the munchkins and unicorns come out?"

"_I'm afraid I don't understand."_

"Munchkins. Unicorns. Things that don't exist," she explained flatly.

"_You believe that this is not real."_

"That would be a big fat duh." She sat back down on the ice ledge, shaking her head. She drummed her fingers along the ice and muttered to herself, "Now all I have to do is wake up. Probably in an alley among rats, but hey, at least I'll wake up."

"_You are very much awake, Lois Lane. You were brought here for protection and healing."_

"By who?" she challenged. "And you never really specified where 'here' is."

"By me."

Startled, she turned to see where the new voice had come from. The man standing across from her looked to be middle aged, with a kind face and smile. He stood with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket. He looked familiar. Regardless, she slid off the ledge once again, tensing for a fight.

"I warn you," Lois said as she curled her hands into fists, "I'm a black belt. If I kill you, I can't be held liable."

The man held up his hands, a gesture of peace. "You can relax, Miss Lane. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm a friend."

"Sorry, but I make it a point not to be friends with strangers," she snapped. "Mind telling me your name?"

The man chuckled. "You're every bit as spirited as I've heard. My name is John Jones, Miss Lane. I work with the Metropolis police."

He held up a badge. Reaching over, Lois took the badge cautiously, giving it a quick but intense once-over. It was real, she could tell; she seen enough fakes – some of them her own – to know authentic when she saw it. "Okay. Fine. You're a cop. Mind telling me why you kidnapped me?"

"I found you in an alley, being badly beaten by a group of lowlifes," he replied. "I chased them off. I knew Kal-El would be deeply upset if I left you hurt and alone, so I took you here to be healed. Better here than one of your human hospitals. Times are getting much too dangerous; especially for you and Kal-El."

Lois cocked her head at the strange name. Hadn't she heard that name before? "Kal-El?"

"_My son."_

Lois glanced up at the icy ceiling. Looking back at John Jones she jabbed a thumb at the surrounding ice. "Casper here has a son?"

John allowed her a half smile. "It's understandable to be doubtful, Miss Lane. You must be very confused."

"I'm standing in a giant igloo talking to a Metropolis cop and a voice with no body. Confused is a bit of an understatement."

He chuckled. "Kal-El has his work cut out for him with you."

"I don't know anyone named Kal-El."

"You will."

Lois narrowed her eyes slightly at his cryptic reply.

John continued. "Kal-El is a great friend of mine. As are you in later years, come to think of it. You first need to understand that I'm not from this planet we stand on. I am from the planet you call Mars."

Her eyes bugged out. "You're an alien?"

He nodded. Her breath came out as a startled gasp.

"I knew it!" she yelled. "I _knew_ aliens exist! Clark always thought I was crazy, but I _knew_ it!"

This earned her another smile. "You _have_ had your fair amount of dealings with them. Not that you were aware for most of the time."

"_What?_" This took a moment to sink in, but it wasn't long before Lois' lips parted, a hundred questions already on the tip of her tongue.

"I think that's a discussion for another time," John interrupted. "And probably another person."

"This Kal-El guy?" she guessed.

"Correct."

"_She must know some of her destiny,"_ the voice said. _"Doomsday is upon us."_

Lois' eyes widened. "Doomsday?"

John gave her a look that made her feel odd, like she was being appraised. He glanced up at the ceiling. "Perhaps she should rest, Jor-El? She is still injured."

"Wait," she interrupted, holding up her hand. This John guy was purposely avoiding the Doomsday subject, which worried her slightly. "What's this doomsday business? Are you talking about end of the world stuff?" Her eyes got even bigger. "Oh my God. You're planning an invasion, aren't you?"

John laughed. "No, Miss Lane. No invasion. Just relax. You need to rest right now."

"But-"

"I'm sure Jor-El will answer some of you questions after you heal a bit more." Grabbing her arm gently, John led her over to the raised icy ledge and helped her back on. Lois thought about jerking away from him, but thought better of it. As strange as her current circumstances were, this man didn't frighten her. He didn't make her feel wary, but calm instead. She leaned back so that she was laying flat.

"Where are you going?" she asked suspiciously.

"_Kal-El will be worried. He must go and tell my son where you are."_

"But I don't even _know_ this Kal-El," Lois argued feebly. A warm light started to wash over her, spreading a sleepy calm as it did. "Why would he be worried about me?"

She heard John's voice as her leaden eyes began to droop closed.

"You may not know Kal-El, Miss Lane, but he certainly knows you. And in time, _you_ will know _him_."

"Hmm. I see." The words sounded slow and slurred to even her own ears. "You guys aren't going to experiment on me or something while I'm out, are you?"

John chuckled. "No. Rest well, Lois Lane."

* * *

**Okay, so that was the first Chapter. Next Chapter will be Clark's POV. Please Read and Review!! Oh, and this is kinda embarrassing, but will someone please tell me how you add chapters? I've only ever done oneshots, so I have no clue how. Thanks so much! :)**


	2. Gone

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I swear I won't ramble, but I'd like to say a few things. First off I wanna thank everyone who reviewed. You guys are great! Second, I'd like to give a shout out to two particular reviewers. First would be **Pittsy**, without whom this chapter wouldn't have been made (because I wouldn't have known how to post it! :D ) and the other would be **superlc529**, who pointed out that Lois and Martha crashed in a _plane_ on Dark Thursday, not a helicopter. My bad, guys. Sorry about that; I meant to put plane.

**Clark's POV**

Clark sped away from the normally thriving nightclub just as the cops started to arrive, flashing lights and all. They had nothing to worry about now; three of the four armed men were unconscious on the floor. Unfortunately, the fourth had slipped out the back while Clark had taken care of the others. He couldn't have gotten far.

Scanning around quickly, Clark heard a noise coming from a nearby alley. He instinctively sped into it, his eyes searching.

The fourth guy _was_ in the alley, but he was already unconscious. It only took a second for Clark to figure out why; the arrow sticking out of the guy's back was kind of a tip off.

There was a thump as Oliver Queen, fully dressed in Green Arrow gear, jumped down from his hiding place.

"Boy Scout," he grinned.

"I see you've already done my work for me," Clark said, gesturing at the man.

"Well I was around," he shrugged. "So the red and blue blur strikes again, huh?"

"Just trying to help."

"Not complaining, man. It's good to see you stepping up. Were you already in the neighborhood, or did you come here from Smallville?"

"I was at the Daily Planet working on a story with Lois," he answered. His eyes widened. "Ah, Lois," he groaned. "I left her at the office without explanation. She's probably going to kill me."

"You incurred the wrath of Lois?" Oliver whistled. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone. You better get back before she hunts you down. Although, she's kind of hot when she's angry."

Clark swallowed back a scowl with some difficulty. Oliver was just teasing of course, but it still irked Clark to hear him talk about Lois like that. She wasn't his girlfriend anymore.

_She isn't yours either, Clark._

_Shut up. I'm only looking out for her. She's my friend._

Clark shook his head. He really needed to start believing that. He turned back to Oliver.

"See you around," he sighed. Without waiting for Oliver's reply, he sped away from the alley and back towards the Daily Planet, praying that Lois wouldn't be too angry with him. She had only come back from Star City a month ago, and it had been hard enough without her being extra angry. Before the attack at Chloe and Jimmy's wedding, Lois had been much more relaxed; less rough around the edges. She hadn't had as many walls up as she used to. All the things that Lois had been when Clark had first met her – abrasive, sarcastic, tough, bossy – had faded away slowly to show more of what was at her core. All the traits like her vulnerability, her kindness, her compassion, and her sense of protection for the people she loves. All these things had been showing themselves more noticeably and frequently over the past few months. None of that had been lost on Clark.

Four years ago, he would have argued that he and Lois Lane had absolutely nothing in common at all. But now he knew differently. Lois was out there trying to dedicate her life to bringing justice by getting the truth out to people: _Clark_ was trying to bring justice by saving lives and protecting people. Lois had spent her life walking around with the weight of the world on her shoulders; trying to raise herself and Lucy in the General's frequent absences, all the while trying to find her _own_ way while shouldering all the responsibility people push at her. He knew what that was like; Clark had his entire destiny and the world hanging over him. He knew that Lois would go to any length to protect the people she loves: so would he. And that included her.

Clark tried to remember when looking out for Lois had become so important to him. He had always saved her when she got into trouble, of course. She was his friend. And even if she wasn't, he still would have helped her. But at some point in the past year, protecting her had become more than just a knee jerk reflex. Now it was important. Part of his routine, really. Now it was wake up and feed Shelby; go to work; banter with Lois; try to talk her out of her latest scheme to get a story, and then save her when she doesn't listen and does it anyway; make sure Lois gets home safe; go home himself, and repeat.

It was almost funny, this need he felt to protect someone who strived to be so independent. But wherever trouble is, Lois was sure to be close behind. And if anything ever happened to her…

He shook his head to clear away the slight panic he felt at the thought. He wouldn't _let_ anything happen to her. One of the many great things about working at the Planet is that he could keep an eye on Lois; he wouldn't be far behind when she needed him.

Granted, she doesn't know it was Clark, but that's beside the point.

And at the wedding, Clark knew, something had changed between them. No, that wasn't right. Things had been changing between him and Lois for a long time now. The wedding was just a breaking point for some of the tension that had accumulated during the past four years. They had almost kissed, right in the middle of his barn…

Only to be interrupted by Lana.

If he was being honest, Clark would have to say that he didn't regret Lana showing up when she did. Not because he still loved her; he knew now that he didn't. But at that point in time, at the wedding, Clark hadn't been sure whether or not he was completely over Lana. Despite how he was starting to feel about Lois, starting something with her when he was still unsure about being past Lana wouldn't have been fair. Lois deserved much better than that. But after Lana had shown up again, he'd known. What he had tried for years to do had finally happened: he had gotten over Lana Lang.

Now that he knew _that_, all that was left was the question of his feelings for Lois.

As he rounded a corner, he saw Lois's car still parked in the same spot it had been all day. She was still at the office. She was going to kill him.

Clark sped into the Daily Planet, slowing as he neared their floor. He quickly thought up a passable excuse as he walked in.

"Hey Lois, I –" he stopped, his eyes searching the room. She was gone. "Lois?"

He walked over to their desks, leaning over her chair. Her coat was gone too. This didn't make sense. Lois wasn't here, but her car was? There was no way he had missed her going to her car on his way in.

Clark swallowed loudly. A slow unease was working its way through the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. He sped back outside his eyes darting around wildly.

_Don't panic,_ he told himself. _Don't jump to conclusions. She's probably fine. She's probably trying to call you, annoyed that you ditched her._

The phone! He jammed his hand into his pocket, digging for his cell phone. He hit a number on his speed dial and waited. Then he heard it. A faint Whitesnake ringtone coming from close by. He turned his head, his eyes following the noise.

A small alley stood across from him. He could faintly see Lois' car on the other side.

"Oh Lois," he whispered. "Tell me you weren't that stupid."

Without a second thought, he ran over into the alley, following the noise. He looked around, afraid of what he might see. Lois's cell phone was lying on the ground, alone and forgotten. Clark crouched down to pick it up as the panic welled up inside him. The phone was sticky. He pulled his hand away, examining the dark liquid on his fingers.

Blood. Lois's phone was covered in blood. And there was more blood, right below his feet. Panic was forgotten as terror washed over him. He stood up. "Lois? Lois!"

Someone groaned off to his left, shifting in a pile of trash. His heart raced as he leapt over to the pile of black trash bags. "Lois?"

A man sat up slowly clutching his head. His left eye was rimmed with a purple bruise. "What the hell?"

Clark stopped short. The man blinked up at him, dazed and confused.

"Where-? Where'd she go?" he asked.

Clark's eyes narrowed. "What she?"

"The hot brunette – Hey! What are you doing?"

The man looked down at ground that Clark was currently holding him above.

Keeping a grip on the man's collar, Clark fished a picture of Lois out of his wallet and held it in front of the man's face. "Is this her? Is this the woman you're talking about?"

The man blinked at the photo. "Yeah. She was just here. Got a right hook like nobody's business –"

Clark slammed him up against the wall, a strong mixture of fury and terror pounding through him, invading his thoughts. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

The man made a funny noise in the back of his throat. "Your eyes! What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

"_Answer me!_ Where –"

"Kal-El."

The familiar voice cut through the haze in Clark's mind. He turned his head.

John Jones stood at the end of the alley, a disapproving expression his face. "Release him, Kal-El."

"I – Lois," Clark managed to choke out. "He did something to Lois."

"I know where Lois Lane is, Kal-El," John informed him. "Put the man down."

Clark released the guy immediately, who tumbled to the ground. He threw one last terrified look at Clark before sprinting away into the night.

"Miss Lane was the one who gave him that black eye," John chuckled.

"What happened?" Clark demanded. "You said you knew where Lois is. Is she okay?"

"She was attacked by that man and some of his friends," John explained.

"Wha-? Then why did you tell me to let him go?"

"Because you are in no state to deal rationally with him. We'll find him later."

That was probably true. Clark nodded and took a deep breath. "Is she okay?"

"She's healing. She had a couple of broken ribs and a bad head wound, but she'll be fine."

"So she's at the hospital," Clark assumed. "Thank you. I'll see you soon."

He made to speed off to Metropolis General when John's voice interrupted him.

"She isn't at the hospital."

Clark froze. "Then… where is she?"

"The Fortress."

"_What?_" Clark gaped.

John regarded him silently for a minute before saying, "She needed better healing than human medicine could offer. The Fortress was the only other option."

Clark's head spun. Lois was at the Fortress. His Fortress. Alone. "Well, she's out right? She's unconscious?"

"She has probably woken up again by now." John's voice was unperturbed, like it wasn't a big deal that Lois was sitting inside a big piece of Kryptonian technology.

"Did you talk to her?"

John nodded. "She's very interesting, Kal-El. Very… spirited."

Under better circumstances, Clark would have laughed. "What did you tell her? Did you mention me?"

He shook his head. "Not as she knows you. I didn't talk about Clark Kent. I only spoke of Kal-El. Even then, I didn't tell her much. Though I should warn you; she's probably talking to Jor-El right now."

Clark's eyes bugged out. "She's talking to _Jor-El?_"

He could only imagine what his Kryptonian birth father was saying to her.

"I have to go," he said hurriedly. "I have to go get her."

As he shot off into the night, Clark hoped that his brain could match the speed of his legs. Because he was running towards what he had no doubt would be a _very_ curious Lois.

And he had no idea what answers he was going to give her.

* * *

"Okay, okay," Lois said, leaning back against the icy wall. "So I'm with you so far on the whole 'getting your son off the planet before it explodes' thing. But why did you send him here? To Earth, I mean. Wasn't there other planets out there that were a lot closer?"

"_Kal-El's destiny lies on Earth."_

"Yeah, but… why? I don't understand why you went through so much to send your kid away from a troubled planet, just to send him to one that's just as worse. Well," she said, reconsidering, "maybe not as worse as yours, by the sound of it."

"_Earth's problems are one of the reasons he was sent here. Humans are not so different from Kryptonians. Your race is on the same destructive path that destroyed my planet. Kal-El is here to stop Earth from sharing the same fate as Krypton. He is the last son."_

Lois frowned. "Sounds kinda lonely, don't you think?"

"_There are always drawbacks to a life that holds great power."_

Lois didn't answer that for a minute. Instead she focused on the bruises on her arms that had now faded to a sickly yellow, thanks to Jor-El's magic light or whatever it was. She looked back up a minute later. "Look, I don't mean to be offensive, but don't you think that that's a little harsh? I mean, I know a lot about parents' and their unrealistic expectations, but this one takes the cake."

"_Kal-El is strong. He can handle his destiny."_

Popping her lips, Lois asked, "And where do I fit in to all this?"

"_You will help my son reach his destiny."_

"Which is slightly problematic, seeing as _no one will tell me who he is_," Lois pointed out. "What do you guys look like anyways? You, uh, Kryptonians. Should I be on the look out for a little green dude, or is he just a voice floating around like you?"

"_Kryptonians look much like humans. I doubt you would know the difference."_

"Huh. You know, if I weren't still half convinced that I'm a) drunk, or b) crazy, this would probably make a great article," Lois commented. "So tell me; where can I find this Kal-El guy?"

"_There is no need. Kal-El has returned."_

Lois turned around to look.

**Review Please!!**


	3. KalEl

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who reviews. I posted this story on the 22, and I put up the 2nd chapter on the 23. When I checked on it on the 24th, I was shocked to see 40 reviews. I literally choked on my own spit. Seriously. It was very attractive. :) But you guys are so amazing, the reviews made my day. So I sat down and worked myself tired to bring you this next one. You guys seriously rock.

"_There is no need. Kal-El has returned."_

_Lois turned to look._

The man across from her stood cloaked in shadow, unmoving. Lois swallowed loudly. The guy looked tall, and most definitely solid. With a deep breath, she pushed down all her preconceived notions about aliens – although to be quite honest, she couldn't stop scenes from movies like _Aliens _and _Independence Day_ flashing through her mind. But Jor-El had insisted that this Kal-El wasn't anything like that.

So instead, she lifted her chin and watched the man as Jor-El said, "_Welcome back, Kal-El."_

The man stepped forward.

There were very few times in Lois Lane's life where she couldn't think of something to say. A comment to throw out there. It was one of the reasons so many people didn't get along with her. Most people didn't care for someone who had an incessant need to fill silences with sarcasm or whatever popped into her head at the time. She told it like it was; she couldn't help that.

But it was rare that she was faced with a situation that left her mind completely blank. Something that made her mouth feel as if it were filled with cotton balls.

A situation, for example, like this. The kind of situation where she expected to meet an alien, and was instead confronted with her farm boy best friend.

Clark.

_Clark. Clark, Clark, Clark, Clark – What the HELL?_

He stood a few feet away from her, looking the same as he had earlier at the Daily Planet – navy dress shirt, black pants. His dark hair was messy, jutting up in all different directions as though he'd just been through a tornado. His face was what drew her attention, though. His blue eyes were huge and round; his face mirrored the same frozen, shocked expression that she was sure was on her own face.

Averting her gaze from the wide-eyed Clark, Lois whipped around and glared up at the ceiling.

"Hey! I thought you said I wasn't crazy."

"_You are not."_

"Then why am I hallucinating?" she demanded.

"_This is my son, Kal-El."_

"Yeah? Well obviously you need your omni-eyes checked. Because this is Clark Kent: poster boy of all things normal. He's - This is Small… Smallville… And you're trying to tell me he's a – he's…?"

Lois faltered and turned back towards Clark, who stood only a few feet away now, his eyes worried. She opened her mouth to speak, to say something – _anything_ – but nothing came out.

Clark's eyes travelled up from her feet to her face, taking in everything from the faded bruises to the disheveled hair. His eyes locked onto hers.

He reached out slowly, cautiously. "Lois…"

Lois took a step backwards. "Don't. Just… just give me a minute…"

Hurt passed over Clark's face, but he didn't try to touch her again. He watched as Lois bit her lip, her eyes darting back and forth as she stared at the floor.

"_Lois Lane –"_Jor-El began.

Lois held up her hand, not looking up. "Can it for a second; I'm still mad at you."

Clark was shocked when Jor-El didn't speak again, but he shook it off. Instead he watched Lois's face run through a barrage of expressions before finally settling on one.

Wonder.

With an angry cry, she grabbed the front of Clark's coat and pulled him closer, throwing her arms around his neck. Clark was taken aback for a minute; then he enveloped her in his arms, feeling a strong rush of relief for her safety. Suddenly Lois pulled away, smacking his shoulder. Hard.

"What the hell is going on here?" she demanded.

Clark took a deep breath, set to explain. "Lois –"

"Do you have any idea what I've been through tonight, Smallville? First you ditch me at the Planet –"

"Lois –" he tried again.

"Then I get attacked in an alley, only to wake up in an ice cube that gives a whole new meaning to 'hearing voices' –"

"Lo –"

"And of all things for this iceberg to tell me, it tries to convince me that my _best friend_ is an _alien_." Lois deflated a little bit before mumbling, "And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm wondering if it's true."

Clark shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

Lois sighed impatiently. "I looked outside Clark. Jor-El wasn't lying to me when he told me I was in the Arctic. And seeing as I've still failed to wake up from this acid-trip dream, I have to assume that where I am is real. And assuming this _is_ real, and I _am_ in the middle of the tundra, that leaves a big question of how the hell _you _got here."

Clark blinked at her. He wasn't sure which threw him off more: Lois referring to Jor-El so flippantly, or the fact that she was finally cornering him about his secret.

Letting out a slow breath, Clark nodded. "Okay. Lois, you may want to sit down."

She leaned back against some ice, but didn't sit down. Instead she crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on his.

"Lois… Years ago, during the first meteor shower in Smallville, my parents crashed their truck into a field. When they got out of the truck, they found me… in a spaceship." Clark didn't pause to see Lois' reaction. "They took me home and adopted me, basically. I was too young to remember anything, but during the past eight years or so I've found out a lot more about where I came from. My original name was Kal-El. I was born on a planet called Krypton that ex –"

"Exploded. But not before you were sent here," Lois whispered, filling in the blanks with the information she'd been given over the past few hours. "Oh my God…"

Clark stepped forward, bringing himself closer to her. "Lois… I'm sorry you had to find out this way. This isn't the way I would have wanted to tell you."

"Well how exactly _were_ you going to tell me?" Lois mumbled. "It's not exactly something you send in an email or casual conversation, Clark."

He didn't have an answer to that. "Lois, are you –"

"– Okay?" she finished. "I don't know. But I'd really like to go home now. I think I've had –"

Lois' sentence choked off when her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and she pitched towards the ground. Clark lurched forward, catching her before she hit the floor. His head whipped up angrily.

"What did you do that for?" he demanded.

"_Calm down Kal-El. She is merely unconscious."_

Clark looked down at Lois. Her face had relaxed, free of expression, and her head lolled against his arm. "Did you remove her memory?"

"_I cannot remove Lois Lane's memory right now. Her body has been through so many traumas today that removing her memory would cause too much damage. I can remove her memory, but only after a small period of time."_

Clark frowned. "How long?"

"_Soon, Kal-El. I will bring you both back here when it is time."_

"But –"

Lois jerked awake in his arms with a gasp. She lifted her head and glared at the surrounding ice. "Okay, the frequent and sudden naps are getting annoying."

Clark gave a small, soft laugh. He stood up with her still tucked safely in his arms. Lois gasped.

Clark looked away from her to say, "Jor-El, could you-?"

"_Of course, my son. Goodbye, Lois Lane and Kal-El. I will see you again soon."_

"Anytime is too soon," Lois muttered. "Way too soon."

* * *

Lois lessened her hold on Clark's collar as the field by the Kent farm came into sharper focus. Everything seemed perfectly normal, from the crickets chirping in the dark to the dimly lit farmhouse in the distance. The blinding ice was gone. It wasn't until she let out a deep breath and felt the sharp relief in her lungs that Lois realized she'd been holding it.

This was also the point that she realized that Clark was still holding her. Without looking at him, she asked, "How did he do that?"

"Send us here?" Clark asked. "There's a lot that he can do."

"Yeah," Lois said slowly. She turned her head to look him in the eye. Bad idea. She hadn't taken into account just how close he would be. She pulled her face back as much as she could, but that still only put a few inches between them. She ignored the tingling sensation in her abdomen and continued. "Seeing as we're on that subject, there were some things he mentioned to me about you… Besides the whole E.T. thing, that is."

"Like what?"

"He said that you could do things. Things that humans –" Lois' mouth twisted around the word. It was weird to use the word 'human' as though it were separate from Clark. He had more humanity than practically anyone she knew. "– can't do."

Clark nodded. "There are things – abilities that I have."

"Oh." Her tone was surprised, even though she had expected this much. Everything she'd been told so far had been true. Lois bit her lip and slid down out of his grip.

Clark blinked as the cool air rushed in to fill the space where Lois had been just seconds before. Dropping his arms, he watched as she walked a few paces away, her back turned. Clark felt a rush of guilt. It was a lot to take in, especially in such a short span of time. After everything that had gone on over the past few months – being kidnapped by the jeweler, the events at Chloe's wedding, and the aftermath of Chloe and Jimmy's attack, to name a few – he felt bad for adding even more to her list of things to deal with.

_She's okay, though,_ Clark thought. That was important. From where he stood, he could still see the bruises that marked her arms and back. The anger he had felt in the alley flared up again, but he forced himself to relax. He would find the people who had hurt her, but right now they weren't important.

She was.

Lois turned around suddenly. "Clark?"

He straightened. "Yes?"

"Will you show me?" she asked.

"My abilities?"

"Yes."

Clark tilted his head, considering. It wasn't that he didn't want to show her; he _did_. Having Lois in the loop about his secrets would be nice. But if she was going to forget in just a few days…

_If she's going to forget, then why _not_tell her?_ a voice in his head asked reasonably. _At least give her this. She deserves it, after everything she's been through…_

Lois was still staring at him, waiting for his reply. Clark gave her a small smile and said, "Sure. I'll show you."

He led her over closer to the barn, stopping by the old tractor that sat in the yard. He motioned for her to stand back. Lois complied, backing up a few steps.

"What is it?" she asked. "Super-farming abilities?"

Clark made a face and said, "Not exactly."

He leaned down and gripped an axle underneath the large piece of farm equipment. Then as easily as he would pick up a couch cushion, he raised it high over his head.

Lois' jaw dropped.

Her eyes flicked from the tractor to Clark's face, her mouth hanging pointlessly.

"Oh my God," was all she managed to get out. She didn't say anything else, just continued to stare.

Worried, Clark set down the tractor and walked back over to her. "Lois? Are you okay?"

She just blinked. "What else? Is there more?"

Clark nodded. He lightly wound his hand around her elbow. "This next one is better if you come over here."

Lois nodded and stepped closer to him, bringing herself inches from his chest. She stared up at him, waiting.

Well, waiting and also trying to hold back a dozen jokes about super-kisses or something.

_Super-kisses,_ she thought. _Now that would be interesting._

_Pay attention, Lane!_

_Right._

Without warning, Clark swept her up into his arms.

"Clark!" she cried, startled.

He smiled at her. "Hang on, okay?"

Lois tightened her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to ask why when Clark suddenly shot forward.

Their surroundings blurred around them as they sped forward. For a second, Lois didn't comprehend what was going on. And then it dawned on her that Clark was running. _Running._ Running so fast that everything else stood still in comparison to his speed. She hadn't ever seen anything quite so amazing.

Clark sped a good length away from the farm before U-turning his direction. Halfway back to the farm, he heard Lois make a small noise. Worried again, he turned his head to check on her.

But she was laughing. Her hazel eyes were bright, and her mouth was turned up in a huge smile as she watched everything pass by.

He couldn't help it. His own face broke into a smile. A strong feeling of relief and elation swept over him. Smiling. She knew about what he was, and she was smiling.

Feeling his gaze, she turned her head, still laughing. Her eyes met his.

In the back of his mind, Clark wondered why this always seemed to happen to them. Not the whole showing-off-his-powers thing, but these _looks_. It seemed that every once in a while, they would just be going along when suddenly they would look at each other and have this…_moment_. This sudden shock of connection that would sober them both into silence. Normally one of them would break this connection by looking away or mumbling some excuse for a distraction. Either that or they were interrupted, like they had been the last time they'd been in this position – at Chloe's wedding.

But this time, there was no one to interrupt. And this time, Lois didn't look away. Her smile softened, and she didn't break eye contact. Somewhere in his thoughts it registered that he should be paying attention to where he was going. But the way she was staring at him… She was so close. Close enough to –

Lois' attention shifted to a point over his shoulder. Confusion passed over her face. She twisted in his arms to look in front of them. Clark followed her gaze.

She was looking at the ground. The ground that – at that moment – they were very high above. Clark jumped.

And then they plunged.

Clark twisted around before impact so that his back struck the ground, rather than Lois'. Dirt flew up around them as they skidded along the ground for at least ten feet before slowing to a stop. Lois lifted her head up off his chest, looking at the crater they had left in the field.

"Nice landing, Smallville," she said, spitting out a chunk of hair. "You can fly, too?"

"No," he said in surprise. "I mean, I'm supposed to be able to, but I've never learned how. I don't know why that happened."

"Has it ever happened before?"

"Sort of. I levitated off my bed once when I was sleeping. And I've flown when I wasn't me –" Lois threw him a confused look at this. "– but it never happened like this before."

She frowned. "Then how did you just West Jet me back to the farm?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "Maybe it's just manifesting now. Most of my other abilities showed up without warning too."

"Others?" Lois said in surprise. "Are there more?"

Clark nodded. "Just a couple."

Lois rolled off of him, allowing him to stand up. He reached down, pulling her up by her shoulders and setting her back on her feet. She laughed when he did this, and Clark shot her a strange look. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "It's just that that reminded me of when we first met. You know, when I found you naked and amnesiac in that field? At the hospital, when you said you were leaving, I told you that you'd have to go through me first. You picked me up the same way and moved me like I weighed two pounds." She chuckled. "I guess that makes a lot more sense now."

Clark smiled. "You really aren't mad at me, are you? I always thought you would be, when you found out."

Lois looked thoughtful. "You know, I always knew you had a secret. If your lame excuses didn't hint at it, the things people said about you did. Granted, I didn't think that you were from another planet, but I still knew something was up." She smiled slightly. "Your parents always told me that you were special. They weren't exactly wrong."

Clark tilted his head. "If you knew I had a secret, why didn't you ask me about it?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't any of my business. If you wanted me to know, you'd tell me."

She paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"I don't think I have anything to hide at this point."

Lois looked up "Would you have told me? If I hadn't been attacked tonight and taken to your fortress thing, would you have told me?"

It was a question that he had hoped she wouldn't ask. But there was no turning back now. Instead, he decided to go for honesty. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I – I don't _like_ lying to my friends. But knowing my secret has gotten people hurt in the past. It puts them in danger. I didn't want to do that to you. But then again, there have been times when _no_t knowing about me has put you into danger. So…I've been considering telling you. Especially over the past few months."

"Fair enough," she nodded.

There was a heavy silence between them. Clark didn't break it until he noticed Lois shivering. He'd completely forgotten about the fact that she was wearing nothing but a thin dress.

"You're cold," he observed. "I'd offer you my coat, but I didn't bring one. You can have my shirt if you want…"

"Um, won't you be cold?"

He grinned. "I'm not affected by the cold."

"Ah. I guess that explains the ice environment."

He nodded. "So my shirt… Do you need it?"

Truthfully, she did. But right then, Lois wanted to give her undivided attention. And she knew full well that a shirtless Clark Kent would definitely be distracting.

"I'm fine," she lied. "But I do want to see what else you can do."

"You sure?" he asked. "It's four in the morning, Lois. You must be exhausted."

"I am not," she protested. But at the mention of exhaustion, she yawned in spite of herself. "Okay, so I'm a little tired. But not enough to distract me, Smallville. So don't even try."

Clark smiled. "Fine. There are only three more things to show you, anyway."

"Show away."

"Watch this." Clark turned his attention on a hay bale a few feet away. Lois waited.

"I don't get it. What's –"

She jumped when the hay burst into flame.

"Neat," she said. "But burning down the farm isn't exactly a genius idea."

Clark rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to burn down the farm."

He turned back to the hay bale and let out a deep breath. The fire went out with a big 'whoosh'. Lois grinned.

"Super-breath?" she laughed.

"Hey," he said defensively. "It comes in handy."

"I'm sure it does," she remarked. Stifling another yawn, she asked, "You said there are three. What's the last one?"

"Technically it's two more," he corrected her. "But one of them I can't really show you."

"Why not?"

"There's not really a safe way to demonstrate it. I'm invulnerable."

"Invulnerable?"

"Yeah."

"So if I pulled out a gun and shot you," Lois said, "or I hit you with a truck, what would happen?"

"Nothing. You'd just end up with a wasted bullet and a wrecked truck."

"That's… _awesome_," Lois said after a minute. "And what's the last thing?"

"X-ray vision," Clark said matter-of-factly.

"X-ray vision?" Lois gaped. She unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest.

Clark tried not to laugh. "I could demonstrate it for you if you want."

Lois held up her hand. "You know, I think I'll just trust you on this one Smallville."

He laughed. Lois yawned again, swaying slightly where she stood. She'd been awake for twenty three hours, and the events of the evening were starting to take their toll.

Clark reached over and picked her up again, ignoring her noise of surprise. He carried her towards the house. "I think that's enough for one night, Lois. You're dead on your feet. Come on; you can stay here tonight."

Normally, Lois would have protested to being manhandled this way; or at the very least made a joke about it. But she was already half asleep, so she closed her eyes and let him carry her into the house. "Alright then Clark. As long as you swear you won't probe me or anything."

"Lois!"

"You kept your alien heritage from me for four years, Clark," she mumbled against his shirt. "I intend to make up for the lost jokes. It's one of my new life missions."

"I hope you won't remember that come morning."

"Tough luck, Clarkie. There's nothing about tonight that I'll be forgetting."

Clark didn't answer. He didn't have the heart to tell her that very soon, that wouldn't be true.

Lois didn't speak again as he carried her upstairs to his old room. He laid her down and was just leaning down to drape a blanket over her when her eyes flew open with a gasp.

"Wait a minute," she said, her bleary eyes finding him. "Clark, all that stuff you showed me. The things you do –"

She sat up, bringing them very close together. Clark swallowed loudly at her close proximity.

"You!" she gasped. "You're the Good Samaritan, aren't you? You're the Red and Blue Blur!"

**

* * *

****Okay, there's something I want to explain before you hit that review button. (Because I _really_ hope you'll hit that review button!) I wanted this chapter to be something everyone would enjoy. But I also wanted to keep it to what I saw for this story. In a lot of stories I've read where Lois finds out Clark's secret, she seems to accept it right away. Which is fine, but in my head I always figured that there would be a certain amount of denial on Lois' part (as there always is when it comes to Clark Kent. Lol. ). I also wanted you to know that I figured out how the plot is going to go, so if all goes well, you can expect at _least_ three more chapters. **

**So please R&R!!!**


	4. Change

**Author's Note:** Okay, chapter four! I know a lot of you picked up on the fact that I missed super-hearing in the last one, and that Clark didn't mention his Kryptonite aversion. You guys are very sharp, but don't worry; I didn't forget. I was just holding some stuff off for other chapters. Sorry it took me longer to update than I wanted. I was taking time to go and review other people's stories. You guys have been so good to me that I figure it was only fair. :) I hope you enjoy!

"It's been you all along, hasn't it?" Lois accused.

Clark sat down on the edge of the bed, amazed that she could still have the energy to question him at this time of night. "Yes."

She flopped backwards against the pillows, an incredulous expression on her face. Clark sighed.

"You're mad at me now, aren't you?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I'm mad at _me_. After all this time, how did I not notice?"

"Give me some credit, Lois," Clark said. "I'm very good at hiding my secret."

"Yeah, but I'm supposed to be an investigative reporter. How did I fail to notice that my best friend was running around Metropolis at night saving people?"

"Well it's not like anyone has actually seen me," he pointed out. "The best anyone has gotten is a blurry picture."

"Oh. That's right." Lois looked pensive again. "You saved my life that night, didn't you? And… and again a few days later, when I was attacked by that psychopath in my apartment."

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble."

Lois shook her head at his tease and asked, "How long have you been secretly saving me?"

Clark shifted. "How long have we known each other?"

"Four years."

"Then four years."

"Huh." Lois was quiet for a minute, staring at him. "Thank you. I just – thanks, Clark."

He smiled.

Lois smiled back for a minute. Then in typical Lois fashion, she said, "Okay, enough of the sappy stuff for tonight. I'm so tired that even these plaid pillows are starting to look good."

Clark rose from his seat, stretching. "Yeah. I should probably go let Shelby in. He's been clawing at the door for the last twenty minutes."

"I don't hear anything," Lois argued.

Clark tapped the side of his head. "Oh yeah. I forgot. Super–hearing. I can hear things from miles around. Things that most people can't. The TV on the next farm over, a crow in the middle of the field, your heart beat."

Lois tilted her head. "You can hear that?"

"Yeah," he said, walking towards the door. "I can even hear all those comments you mutter under your breath when you think I can't hear you. Oh and by the way, I agree; I think I looked good in that grey shirt I wore Tuesday too."

He walked out, but not before he saw her mortified face.

"You weren't supposed to hear that!" she called.

Clark just laughed.

* * *

"_Ugh._" Lois rolled over in bed, wincing as she rolled off her stomach.

Sunlight flooded in to the room, burning at the back of her eyelids. Both her ribs and her head throbbed, but not as much as she would have expected. The events of the night rattled around her head, making it pound a tiny bit more.

She rolled again, this time right out of bed. She hit the floor with a thump. "Ugh!"

She stumbled into a standing position, fixing the tangled white dress. She glanced in the mirror. The dress was ripped in some places, and covered in mud. Her hair looked like she had decided to adopt style tips from the eighties.

Basically, she looked like hell.

She fumbled with Clark's dresser drawer for a minute before pulling out a familiar shirt and pulling it over her head.

Making her way downstairs, Lois dodged Shelby running up the stairs. She sneezed loudly.

A head poked around the corner. Clark grinned at her disheveled appearance.

"Good afternoon, Lois," he said, setting down Shelby's food dish. "I was wondering when you were going to grace us with your presence."

"Just please, please, tell me you have coffee here," she groaned.

Clark shook his head. "No, but…"

Then he was gone. Lois blinked a few times to be sure he was gone.

"Huh," she said. "That's even more annoying now that I _see_ him do that."

She walked into the kitchen, rummaging around in the cupboards until she found a box of cereal. A sudden breeze lifted the back of her hair, and she turned to see Clark standing a few feet away, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"I would have been quicker," he explained, "but I prefer to actually pay."

Lois was speechless for a minute. Then she smiled and snatched the cup of coffee away from him.

"Thanks, Smallville," she said cheerfully. "I guess having super powers comes in handy."

He rolled his eyes. "I can do more than run errands with my abilities."

"Like be a flash of color that saves people?" she asked, sipping her coffee with raised eyebrows.

"I never heard you complain when it was _you_ I was saving."

"It's not like you stick around afterwards to actually hear me complain," she pointed out. "That's where we got the whole 'blur' part. Maybe if you slowed down we could call you something else."

Clark didn't answer. Lois put down her coffee, mistaking his silence for him being uncomfortable. "You can relax, Clark. I mean, it's not like I plan on exposing you on the front page of the _Daily Planet_."

Clark looked up, a strange expression on his face. "Actually Lois… I've been thinking. That's _exactly_ what I want you to do."

She looked dumbfounded. "You want me to what?"

He focused on her intently. "You know how you said you wanted an interview with the Red and Blue Blur? You got it."

"I – Clark I know I said that that was one of my new life missions and everything, but you don't have to give an interview just because I know about you," Lois said uncertainly.

"No, Lois that's not it." Clark paused before saying, "Look, I've been thinking about this for a long time. I think it's time for me to make my first public appearance. And I want you to write it."

"But – _why_? Clark, you can write just as well as I can. Well," she backtracked, "maybe not _just_ as well. But come on, Smallville, a story like this would definitely upgrade you from copy boy."

Clark was shaking his head before she even finished. "No. I want you to do it."

"But this is a huge opportunity –"

"Exactly." Clark leaned against the counter. "Lois the story is yours. Please. Will you do this?"

"I – yeah." She nodded. "Of course."

She went back to sipping her coffee, her expression far away. Clark suppressed a grin; he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Okay," she said suddenly, setting the cup down on the counter. "I'll do it, but there a few things we need to work out first."

"Like…?" he said slowly.

"Well, figure out your identity, for starters. Think about it Smallville. If you're going to going to be running around saving people in Metropolis using your abilities, people are going to notice. They've _already_ noticed. You're going to need to pull a Green Arrow and adopt an alter-ego."

"An alter-ego?"

"Yeah," Lois said, as though it were obvious. "Something we can refer to you as. We can't keep calling you the Good Samaritan or the Red and Blue Blur."

"Why not?" Clark asked. He wasn't stupid; he knew he needed something to go by, but he hadn't really thought about what they would call him. He assumed the press would take care of that.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Because 'the Red and Blue Blur' makes you sound like a crappy painting, and 'the Good Samaritan' makes it sound like you're rescuing kittens from trees. We need something that will catch people's attention."

Clark was weary. "Like what?"

"I don't know yet…" She bit her lip. "But don't worry, Smallville. It'll come to me."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Clark muttered.

"I heard that."

Clark snickered walked towards the doorway, grabbing his coat.

"Hey, whoa." Lois looked up from her cereal. "Where are you going?"

"There are a few things that I have to take care of," Clark explained. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"Damn it!" Lois cursed as she paced the living room floor. The blinking cursor on the computer screen was a cruel reminder that her article was only half finished. She was stuck.

How was she supposed to write an article like this anyway? This could very well be one of the biggest exposés of her career. Not to mention the fact that Clark was counting on her. If she screwed this up…

"Lois Lane."

"Jesus!" Lois dropped the bowl of ice cream she'd been angrily shoveling into her mouth. She whipped around.

John Jones stood in the doorway, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Oh," Lois exhaled. "Jeez. What are all you aliens like ninjas or something? A little noise for warning would be nice."

"I didn't mean to startle you," John apologized. He walked a little farther into the room. "I see you're doing better."

"Well it takes more than a few bumps and bruises to bring me down," she replied, unconsciously trailing a hand along her ribs.

"If I remember correctly, it was more than just some scrapes," John said. "You had massive internal bleeding, Miss Lane."

"Oh." Her tone was surprised. After being healed so quickly, she hadn't given much thought to how bad she had been hurt. "Then I guess I should say thank you. You saved my life. Although I wouldn't feel so special about that if I were you; it turns out a lot of people have been doing that lately."

"I take it that you spoke to Kal-El," he said knowingly.

"That's an understatement." She sat back down on the couch. "My head is still spinning."

John crossed over to the computer. He scanned through the article in silence for a minute.

"This is good," he said, turning back towards her. "Really good."

Lois shook her head dejectedly. "I can't finish."

"Why not?" he asked, surveying her with interest.

"I –" she stopped herself. Having 'sharing time' with someone she barely knew hardly sounded like a good idea. "You know, I'm not much for the whole sitting around the campfire and talking about how I feel thing."

John didn't speak, but for reasons unfathomable to her, Lois suddenly found herself talking a mile a minute.

"It's just that – I don't know how to be objective when I write this. I'm trying to paint this picture of what Clark can be – what he is, really. But I…" She stopped, sucking in a deep breath. "I need to do this right. After everything, especially what I know now, he deserves for me to give this my best shot. But in this state of mind, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that."

"And what state of mind would that be?"

"The one where I'm freaking out because my reality is a lot different than I thought it was," she answered.

"Is it really that different?" John asked. "You find out some secrets about your friend, and that changes everything?"

Lois tilted her head. "Hey! When was the last time _you_ found out someone close to you was keeping one of the biggest secrets ever from you?" she said defensively. She sighed again. "I don't even think that that's it, though. I think the thing that I'm having the most trouble with, is the fact that the one person who makes me feel most like myself suddenly makes me feel so inadequate"

"Inadequate?"

"Look, I've known Clark four years. I thought that I had him pretty much pegged. I thought I knew him. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think all he was destined to do was live out his life milking cows on a farm. But I didn't expect _this._ Clark is supposed to save the world. And I'm supposed to help him – which, by the way, you guys never really explained. I just... I don't want to … screw it up, somehow."

"So this is about inadequacy? You don't think that you're good enough to help him? Miss Lane, your destiny is just as important as Kal-El's. Without yours, his would fail to exist. This isn't a question of whose life holds more importance." John sat down across from her. "Now you said you were having trouble with objectivity. I find that usually comes when you have conflicts with your own opinions. What is it that you're having a hard time getting past? Is it the fact that Kal-El is an alien? You have a hard time accepting him now because of that?"

"Wha–? No!" Lois looked insulted. "Of course not! Alien or not, Clark is…Clark! It won't matter what they end up calling him because of my article. He'll always be Smallville to me."

John leaned back, seemingly satisfied. "I guess you have your opinion sorted out after all."

He sat there, completely silent. Lois stared back, feeling bewildered.

"No offence, Yoda, but I feel like I missed your point here," she confessed.

John smiled. "You're good at what you do. And you are a good friend to Kal-El. He trusts you. If that wasn't obvious before, it is now. Forget about writing the article for a minute. What you are about to do here is alert the world to his presence. How they perceive him is important. A lot of what they perceive is going to come from what you write. And of course, as much as we try to stay objective, what you write will always reflect your opinion. Miss Lane, as long as _you_ know how you feel about him, the rest of that article will come easy."

Lois stared at the computer screen in silence, processing his little speech. He was right. That annoyed her a little bit, but he was right. Even through her muddled confusion, she could see that. If it came down to how she felt, then it was simple: She loved Clark. None of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours changed that. So he was from another planet. So he had strange powers that set him apart from everyone else. So what? She still trusted him, believed in him, cared about him. Maybe even more so now that she knew the whole story. What did the world need to know about Clark? That he was a hero. If anyone could make a difference – spread some hope – it was him.

Turning back, she smiled at John, grateful for his help with her little epiphany. "Thank you. Really." After a moment, she changed tracks, brightening up to ask, "So did you come over here because you knew I needed help, or was there another motive?"

"I came here to check up on the two of you. I also needed to speak to Kal-El," John answered.

"He went out," she informed him. "He didn't say where he was going, though."

He nodded, rising from his seat. "I'll speak to him later, then."

He threw her one last respectful nod before turning to leave.

"Hey," she called, regaining his attention. She gestured to the computer. "Any suggestions for names? He's gonna need one."

John paused. Then he smiled. "Just try not to make it anything too embarrassing."

"Like I told him," she said, turning back to the article. "No promises."

* * *

"Oliver," Clark called as he walked into his friend's penthouse apartment. "Oliver, are you here?"

"Clark?" Oliver said in surprise, walking out of his concealed Green Arrow closet.

He stopped short to look at his friend. Clark's eyes were unusually bright, and his face was flushed pink. If Oliver didn't know any better, he would almost say that it looked like Clark was high.

"This is a surprise, Clark," he said, tossing a handful of arrows on the couch. "I haven't seen you since the other night when you ran off to go put out the fire otherwise known as Lois."

"That's actually what I want to talk about," Clark said, leaning back against the couch.

Ollie grinned, turning his back to Clark for a minute under the pretence of grabbing a water bottle. So _that_ was the source of Clark's disheveled appearance and odd behavior: Lois Lane. Not exactly surprising. He had had a feeling this would happen sooner or later ever since –

"Lois knows my secret," Clark said suddenly.

Oliver choked on his water. He whirled around, coughing and spluttering. "_What?_ How mad _was_ she that you went and told her _that_?"

Clark shook his head. "It's a long story. But the point is, she knows. And as we speak, she's writing an article in for the Daily Planet."

Oliver whistled. He knew Lois had been angry and hurt when she'd found out about _his_ secret identity, but he had a hard time picturing Lois to be _that_ vindictive. "Why would she do that?"

"I asked her to do it."

"Wow," Oliver said eventually. "I'm impressed, Clark. I guess two years of bugging you to step up finally worked. Not to mention the fact that you've already got the press on your side. I have a feeling Lois will be a lot kinder to you than she was to Green Arrow."

When Clark didn't say anything, he continued. "Seriously Clark, I'm impressed. You've got an excellent angle here, too. You'll be one of the first to know when something goes down, and Lois can cover for you when you go off to help."

"Not for long," Clark said.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked slowly.

"Lois is going to have her memory erased in a few days," Clark said, evading Oliver's stare. "And she doesn't know, so please don't mention it. I think it's better if she doesn't have to face it until it happens."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Oliver, you know why. The same reason I had Chloe's removed before her wedding. People's lives are better off when they don't have to deal with the burden of knowing about me. Everyone who's known about me has had to suffer in some way, and I don't want to do that to Lois. She –"

"Don't you think you've used that excuse one to many times," Oliver said wearily, interrupting Clark's tirade. He pointedly ignored Clark's insulted expression and said, "Clark, man, don't you think Lois deserves to know? Especially because of what she's doing for you now? And not to mention how she –"

Oliver stopped short. He'd been on the verge of saying 'how she feels about you', but had thought better of it. No matter how in depth the conversation between Lois and Clark had gone, he was fairly certain that the last thing Lois would have done was mention the feelings that she had recently discovered she had for the guy in front of him. Personally, Oliver found the 'recent' part amusing. He'd seen the attraction between them since Day 1, even when _he_ had been the one dating Lois. The fact that _Clark_ still didn't see that she was head over heels for him was a bit mind-boggling. At least, he hoped Clark saw it. If not, there wasn't much hope for him; Oliver already knew that Clark had feelings for Lois.

"It's the best thing –" Clark started. He shook his head. "Oliver, you make it sound like I don't want her to know. I do. I'm just doing what's best for her."

"Right. You're just looking out for her. This has nothing to do with the fact that if Lois doesn't know about you, you can put off dealing with how you feel about her." Oliver rolled his eyes at Clark's expression. "Look, personally I think you're making a mistake, but I can't tell you what to do Clark. Just ask yourself this: Are you really being _selfless_, or are you just being selfish?"

Clark's mouth tightened, but Oliver held up a hand. "Sorry; I'm not trying to pick a fight with you Clark. This is your situation to deal with, after all. Can I ask you a question, though? Totally un-Lois related, I swear."

"Sure."

Oliver grinned. "What are you going to wear?"

"Nothing leather, I can tell you that." Clark smiled back, and almost instantly, the tense atmosphere disappeared.

"Aw come on. What I wore when we were fooling Jimmy worked pretty well."

"I thought I told you," Clark said, as he made his way to the elevator, "I won't do capes."

"Suit yourself," Oliver shrugged, laughing lightly. "Where you off to now?"

"To see Lois," Clark replied. "I think you're right. She and I have some things to discuss."

* * *

"Die! Die!" were the first things Clark heard as he walked back into the house. Immediately he went on alert.

"Lois?" he said, hurrying towards the living room. He stopped short when he saw her sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on her lap. The dress was gone now, replaced by a pair of his sweatpants and a blue plaid shirt. Judging by the damp curls at the end of her hair, she had already taken advantage of his hot water and taken a lengthy shower.

"I – what are you watching?" he asked, glancing over at the TV.

"_Alien vs Predator_," she answered. "It was on TV. Normally I don't like TV edits, but this one is pretty good. I – wait," she said, trying not to smile. "You don't find this insulting, do you?"

She gestured to the TV, biting back a grin. Clark rolled his eyes and gave her a sarcastic smile. He walked out to hang up his coat.

"If it makes you feel any better," she called, laughter evident in her words now, "I'll cheer for the aliens."

Clark threw his coat on a hook. "I stopped by your apartment and picked up some clothes."

Lois leapt off the couch and grabbed the bag he had taken the time to pack. "Thanks Smallville. One more hour in plaid, and I might have found myself actually enjoying it."

She ran upstairs and returned a minute later, adjusting a pair of black dress pants and a blue blouse. Clark swallowed loudly. Her hair was still a mess, and she wasn't wearing any make-up, but still… she looked beautiful. Then again, who was he kidding? He had thought she looked beautiful even when she'd been bruised and bloody.

"Clark?"

"I – what?" he said, snapping out of his daze.

"I said I need your truck," she repeated. "I'm going to the Planet."

Clark's eyes widened. "You finished?"

"Yep. If I go now, I might just be able to catch Tess before she leaves." She grabbed the keys off a hook and turned to go.

"Wait." His hand shot out to grab her arm. She turned slowly, her eyes on his hand. Her gaze slowly travelled up to his face. The tension reminded Clark of the night before. Someone's heart was thumping loudly, but he couldn't get his head together enough to tell if it was his or Lois'.

"You were saying?" she said softly.

"Do you want me to come with you? There's some stuff I want to talk to you about," he managed to say.

Something flickered behind her eyes, and for a minute, he was sure she was going to say yes. But then she shook her head. "Actually, I think I should go by myself. We can talk tomorrow, okay?"

Clark nodded. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Lois."

* * *

Tess Mercer reclined in her chair, surveying the office around her with a calculating expression. The past few months that she'd been in charge had been interesting, to say the least. She had had no idea that being the CEO of Luthorcorp included such a range of duties. To say residing over the Daily Planet was one of her least favorites would be an understatement. She hated some of the people she had to deal with.

Her assistant poked her head into the room. "Miss Mercer? Lois Lane is here to see you."

Speaking of people she hated... Tess sat up. "Send her in."

Seconds later, Lois Lane stalked into the room, a stack of papers clutched in her hand. Tess had never seen the woman look so sloppy.

"Miss Lane," she said coolly."Just showing up to work now. You know, there are a lot of reporters out there who would give their left arm to work here. I'm sure most of _them_ could manage to show up on time. Give me one reason why I shouldn't fire you on the spot"

Lois rolled her eyes. "Because if you fire me now, you'll never get to hear about the story I just got."

"And what story would that be?" Tess challenged.

"Let's just say you can forget firing me. You're going to want to give me a raise." Lois tossed the papers down on Tess' desk. "I just got the interview of the century."

* * *

**Hey guys. I apologize for the lack of Clois action in this chapter, but I felt that the two of them needed some advice from outside sources so they could get their opinions together. As for future Clois interactions, I promise: the next chapter will not disappoint. ;) Please Review!!**


	5. Super

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took me so long to update. Been busy. But hey, we cet to see Lois and Clark become closer, and it's time for Clark's superization... :)

Clark strolled back into the barn just as the sun was peeking up over the horizon. He wiped his hands on a spare rag, feeling proud; he had finished his chores in record time, and had plenty of time left to get ready for work.

The distant rumble of a car caught his attention. He recognized the car immediately, as well as the voice inside, which was currently muttering obscenities in a frustrated tone.

Clark stepped back outside as Lois' car pulled up the driveway. She stepped out of the car, a large coffee in hand. She looked more like herself today, dressed in her normal work attire, her hair smooth and down, make-up in place. She looked like typical Lois: put together and determined.

"Lois," he said with a grin, tossing the rag back into the barn. "I didn't even know you were _capable_ of being up this early."

She made a face at him. "Cute. I've had to down three coffees already. This is my fourth." She sipped said coffee for a moment before asking, "Do you think that if you concentrated really hard, you could make Tess Mercer burst into flames?"

He tilted his head. "Any particular reason you want to set our boss on fire?"

"I could give you a million reasons," she corrected, "but there is one in particular I'm thinking of. Tess halted the article."

"What? I thought she loved articles like that. She said so when I asked her to stop the first article the Planet printed about me."

"She loved the article," Lois assured him. "But she says that she wants _proof_. She said the article will sell better if I get a picture of you."

"Did you try to argue?" Clark asked.

"Of course I did! I said that I didn't know if I'd be able to get a picture. But Tess seems to think that if we are close enough for you to give me an interview, then I shouldn't have any trouble getting a picture to go along with it. She's giving me 'time off' to get it. And by time off, I mean twenty four hours. You've got the time off too. I told her that you were going to help me get the picture."

Clark clenched his jaw. This was definitely a problem. They were too pressed for time; in _all_ aspects. There wasn't enough time to figure out a plan, and not to mention the fact that the timer on Lois' memory was slowly running out. Clark pushed down the small but sharp doubt that had been gnawing at the back of his mind ever since his conversation with Oliver. Originally he had regarded the thought of Lois' upcoming memory loss with relief, but now…

"Oliver," Clark said suddenly, the idea striking him. "I could always call Oliver and see if he could help with something to wear."

Lois gave him a strange look before shaking her head. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know about Oliver, seeing as you have your own hero complex issues. But there's no need to call him. I already put in a call to someone else, Smallville."

She strolled past him, giving his arm a quick pat. Clark turned, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Who?" he asked slowly. "Who did you call?"

"Uh," she stalled. She turned away from him to mumble, "Your mom."

Clark stared at her back. "What?"

Lois turned around. "Well what was I supposed to do? It's not like they sell superhero suits at the mall! And neither of us is exactly Martha Stewart, so I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I called your mom. I did it yesterday when I was writing the article, actually. I figured we might run into a problem like this. It's a good thing I did. Besides, if it was up to you, you would be wearing plaid and jeans."

"You told Mom what we're doing?" He mulled that over for a minute. "Huh. What did she say?"

Lois grinned, pleased that he wasn't angry. "She's very proud of you Clarkie. Although she did seem to think that you telling me meant we were getting married or something, further proving the fact that you don't tell just anyone. Lucky for us, she's got some time off at the minute, so she said she would get right on it. But enough of that; you and I have got some work to do."

Clark raised his eyebrows. "And that would be…?"

She straightened. "Working on your flying."

"What? Lois I told you the other night; I can't control it."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, setting down her coffee and placing her hands on her hips. "Think about it Clark; flying would be really useful. Besides, you said you're supposed to be able to. I just figured we could work on it."

Clark considered it. It _would_ be very useful. Only… "Lois, I wouldn't even know where to start."

She nodded. "Yeah. That's a problem." She thought it over for a minute. "You said that you've only really done it twice, right?"

"Once when I was dreaming, and the other night with you," Clark nodded.

"Is there a connection between the two?" she asked. "Anything factor that was the same in both cases?"

Clark considered that for a minute. "I was…_happy_ both times."

"Happy?" she raised an eyebrow. So he'd been happy that night with her? "Okay… Well maybe that's the key."

"What, thinking happy thoughts?" Clark laughed. "Come on, Lois. We're one step away from you telling me that all I need to do is clap my hands and say that I believe in fairies. This would be much easier if I could get a hold of Kara and ask for advice."

"Whoa, whoa, what?" Lois shook her head. "What's this about Kara? I thought you said she was your cousin."

"She _is_ my cousin, Lois. My actual, biological cousin."

"So Kara's an alien too?"

"Intergalactic traveler," Clark corrected.

"Pardon?"

"I prefer to be called an intergalactic traveler," Clark shrugged. "Alien sounds so…"

"Alien?" Lois filled in.

"Well…yeah."

Lois leaned back against the tractor. "Okay. So, Kara is an intergalactic traveler too? I thought Jor-El said you were the only one left."

"For the longest time, we thought I was until Kara showed up in Smallville."

"But Kara can fly?"

"Yes."

Lois looked thoughtful. "I wonder why you can't…"

Clark walked to stand beside her. "It could be a lot of things. For one, Kara knew about the powers she'd have before she came here. I had no clue until mine started showing up. Another thing could be the fact that I'm afraid of heights."

Lois looked disbelieving. "You could fly if you wanted to, to anywhere at anytime, and you don't because you're afraid of heights?"

"It's a reasonable fear!" Clark said defensively.

"Yeah, for most people." Lois gave a short laugh. "But Clark, you could jump out of a plane without a parachute and be fine. What about heights would scare you?"

He shrugged. "How should I know? I mean, why are some people of shower curtains, or clowns? There isn't really a good reason."

"Exactly – there's no good reason. So come on, Smallville. Let's get started." She hopped up, looking determined.

Clark sighed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"How much is she paying us again?" he grunted as he lifted some of the boxes out of the rusty Ford. "'Cause whatever it is, it isn't enough."

"Jesus, Murphy," his partner snarled, grabbing his own box. "It's fifty grand each! Stop whining and get this stuff inside."

Murphy paused only to give the other man a sneer. "Why the hell does she want us to do this anyway? I mean, what's the point Johnston?"

The man named Johnston paused. "If I tell you, will you shut the hell up?"

Murphy nodded. "Yeah sure."

"Fine." Johnston leaned up against his beat up truck and studied the other man. "You know that blur guy who's been running around the city?"

"Yeah. My buddy Jake got busted in a robbery 'cause of him."

"Woman says she's got some inside info on this guy. Wants to see if it's true."

"What kinda stuff?"

"I don't know. Weird powers an' all that shit. Didn't ask." Johnston placed a hand on the other guy's shoulder. "You don't question the hand that gives you cash, Murph. You just take it, do your job, and go. Now quit talking and start loading the equipment into the building."

Murphy grumbled a response and continued unloading boxes. Johnston watched him work silently. A man like Murphy was easy enough to come by. More muscle than brain. Dispensable when necessary. Johnston knew that _he_ was the brains here – the one in control. For every ten of Murphy, there was only one of him.

Yes, Johnston knew he was a much higher class of criminal. What Murphy and his friends did was messy: muggings, snatch-and-grabs, low reward armed burglary. What Johnston did was quick and clean: high stakes robberies, and contracted jobs. All handled with expertly crafted explosives.

When the job was done, he'd kill Murphy; not only for his share, but to ensure Johnston's own identity was not leaked if the idiot was caught. Nothing long and torturous; he was hardly a sadist. Just a bullet to the head.

Nice and neat, just as he preferred it.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Murphy puffed as he walked by. "What's with the green stuff? You don't need it to make them."

"They're meteor rocks, dumbass," Johnston rolled his eyes. "I like them; they make the force of the detonation that much better."

Johnston eyed the various pieces of equipment, already begging him to combine them into small, deadly little packages. Metropolis could rest well today.

But tomorrow, they were in for a hell of a wake up.

* * *

Clark was exhausted.

They worked for hours, without much success. By lunchtime Clark had managed to hover a few inches off the ground. When they picked up again after a quick meal, he found he could get from the house to the barn. But it seemed like every time he had a break through, he would get anxious and fall.

Lois was relentless. Even after he fell for what seemed like the fiftieth time, she was still there, pulling him to his feet and pushing him to try again.

By suppertime, Clark was done. He lay back on the ground, closing his eyes against the setting sun.

"That's it, Lois," he panted. "I'm done. We've been at it for hours. We're not accomplishing anything."

"Well we won't if you keep taking breaks," she pointed out. She wasn't ready to quit yet. He _could_ do it. She knew he could. She held out her hand to him. "Up, Smallville."

Clark sighed theatrically and took her hand. But instead of allowing her to help him up, he tugged, so that she fell forward. Lois' heart stuttered when she landed on top of him, sprawling out slightly. Clark heard that and opened his eyes, his hands gripping her waist.

"Your heart skipped a beat," he said softly, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I know," she whispered. _Damn his super-hearing._

Clark stared at her for a long time, without speaking. He squinted up at her slightly.

"Can I ask you something?"

Lois nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Why are you riding me so hard on this?" He turned red when Lois raised an eyebrow at the implication behind his words.

_Oh, great choice of words when she's lying on top of you, Clark,_ he thought, trying to dig his mind out of the gutter it had suddenly sunk to.

"I mean, why are you pushing me so hard? What do you want?"

She shrugged, as though it were obvious. "I just want to help. And if that means helping you learn how to pull a Peter Pan, then fine; I want you to fly. One save at a time, remember?"

He smiled up at her, his eyes light and teasing. "How moving, Lois. I'm shocked."

"I'm not as cynical as everyone thinks," she protested. At Clark's raised eyebrow, she said, "Well, not _all_ the time, anyway. But coming from someone who spent his high school years brooding in the barn, being called cynical isn't much of an insult, Smallville."

Instead of allowing his eyes to cloud over and his mood to darken at the mention of his emotionally fraught teen years like she half expected, he laughed. A slow smile spread across her face. She liked this Clark. She should have known the high school reference wouldn't bother him like it once would have. He wasn't the same boy she had met in a cornfield. At some point in the last two years, Clark had grown up. She wondered how she had missed that particular transformation. But she was glad that it had occurred. Because if she had found out about where he came from four years ago, she probably wouldn't have been able to believe that the dorky farm boy was Earth's supposed savior. But looking at Clark – _thi_s Clark, the one that was all grown up and free of his façade – it was easy to see that he was destined for big things.

_Destiny,_ she thought with a wry smile. It was a word she hadn't even been sure she believed in until this week.

Clark's gaze brought her back out of her thoughts. Here was further proof that Clark had changed; there was no way that the Clark from four years ago would be looking at her like _this._

As strong as the pull from his stare was, Lois noticed something far more pressing in her peripheral vision. Pushing away about a dozen images that had popped into her head – most of which involved Clark losing his shirt in a variety of creative ways – she wound her fingers into his shirt a bit and said, "Don't freak out, Smallville, but I think you've finally had a break through."

Clark looked confused. He turned his head to see what she had already noticed; they were already ten feet off the ground.

"I guess you're in your happy place?" she murmured.

"Let's see if this works," he said.

He tightened his hold on her and concentrated. "Hang on, Lois."

She obliged, and after a minute, Clark shot off through the air.

And for the life of him, he couldn't remember why he hadn't been doing this all along.

It was terrifying, sure. But the exhilaration and elation that came along with it overshadowed the fear. He rocketed along the entire length of the field and back before he felt Lois trembling in his arms. She had her face buried in his shirt, blocking out the wind. He felt a small twinge of guilt through his triumph; she was probably freezing. He slowed to a hover near the barn. It wasn't so hard, he realized. As long as he kept up his concentration, he felt confident that he would stay up in the air without fault.

Lois lifted up her head, and smiled at his delighted expression.

"You did it!" Lois shouted, punching his shoulder. "I _told_ you!"

He burst out laughing, whether from exhilaration or exhaustion, he didn't know.

Clark landed them both in the loft, still laughing. Lois slid down from his grasp, a smile on her flushed face as she made to back away. She didn't have her balance back yet, and she tripped. He grabbed her hand before she fell and pulled her back to him.

He wasn't sure whether it was the recent flight or Lois herself that was making him feel so uncontrollably impulsive. But there was something there that was making him confident, happy. So when Lois stumbled back into him, he dipped his head to press his lips against hers like he'd wanted to all week.

What he didn't expect, however, was Lois' reaction. At first she stood rigid, caught off guard. Disappointed, Clark made to pull away and apologize.

She didn't let him. Instead she pushed back, slipping her arms around his neck and moving her lips with his. He slid his hands away from her arms and placed a hand against the small of her back, the other sliding up to knot in her hair.

She pulled away, sounding breathless. "Clark?"

"Yeah?" He didn't sound so steady himself.

But she didn't answer. She pulled his face back to hers, fiercer this time. Clark ran his tongue gently along her bottom lip, and she parted them, deepening their kiss as he pulled her closer. Clark groaned.

He backed her up until her back hit the wall, bringing her flush against him. Her arms still locked around his neck, she used the leverage to wrap her legs around his waist. Lois moaned softly. He smiled against her lips, pulling away briefly to look where he was going before he attacked her lips again. His mind was clouded as he tried to carry her back towards the couch. He missed his target, however, and they crashed up against the desk instead. Lois laughed and swept her leg along the desk, knocking some of the items to the floor as Clark leaned back against it, trailing kisses along her neck.

Clark faltered suddenly, a low groan escaping his throat. This time it had nothing to do with Lois. He released her and sunk to the floor, clutching his head.

"Clark?" Lois kneeled down next to him, looking scared. "Clark, what's wrong?"

Clark opened his eyes. Among the items scattered along the floor, his lead box with the small piece of Kryptonite lay on its side, wide open.

"Lois…" he moaned, his eyes streaming. "The meteor rock…"

She followed the glow to the box. She picked it up, looking quickly from the rock to Clark and back. She ran over to the window and threw it out with as much force as she could.

Back on the floor Clark relaxed, the pain ebbing. When his vision cleared, he saw Lois hovering above him, her eyes wide and her lips a bright red from their recent activities. After a few seconds, he sat up and leaned against the desk. He glanced at the window before focusing back on Lois.

"You know," he said with a weak smile, "shutting the box would have worked just as fine."

"What was _that_?" she gaped. "You just had a seizure or something. What did that meteor rock do to you?"

"It's Kryptonite," Clark answered. "Lois, all those meteor rocks, the ones that gave all those people powers, are pieces of Krypton."

"Then why did you have that reaction to it? You're _from_ Krypton!"

"When I came here in the meteor shower, the pieces of Krypton became, well, deadly to me." Clark rubbed his eyes wearily and gave her a small smile. "If I'm exposed to that particular kind for too long, it'll kill me. As soon as I'm exposed, it weakens me."

"But – I thought you were invulnerable!"

"I am… just not when it comes to that."

Lois let out a deep breath and brushed a lock of hair back from his sweat covered forehead. She slumped forward until her forehead rested against his shoulder. She mumbled, "You scared the hell outta me, Smallville."

He smiled slightly and rested a hand on her back. "Sorry."

They stayed that way for a while before Lois sat back up to ask, "Did you say that there's more than _one_ kind of Kryptonite?"

Clark blinked at her. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'll tell you more about it another time."

"Why not now?"

"Because someone just pulled up to the farm."

The two of them scrambled over to the window, poking their heads out.

"It's a mail truck," Lois observed.

Clark frowned. "What kind of mail truck comes at seven in the evening?"

"The kind that's been ordered to by a senator," Lois said, slapping his arm excitedly. "I'm willing to bet my entire Whitesnake collection that that guy is bringing you a package from your mom."

She ran down the steps and out of the barn with Clark in tow. A tired looking middle aged man climbed out of the truck, a rectangular box in one hand.

"You Clark Kent?" he called.

"Yes," Clark nodded.

Lois grabbed the box. "Yep! I was right; it's from your mom."

The man held out a clipboard with a bored expression. "Sign please."

Clark signed for the package and handed the board back to the man, who wasted no time getting in his truck and speeding away. Once he was gone, Lois grabbed Clark's hand and ran inside the house.

She pushed the box into Clark's chest animatedly. "Go change. Let's see it."

Clark opened his mouth to respond, but Lois pushed him towards the stairs. "A little less talking, a little more changing, Clark."

With a tentative grin, Clark sped upstairs. Lois paced the living room, a slow feeling of excitement working its way through her. It both exhilarated and terrified her how close they were to achieving their goal. She waited patiently for a few minutes before she grew edgy and called, "Smallville, you have super-speed for god sakes. What's taking so long?"

"Uh, I'm not sure about this Lois." His voice came from around the corner, rather than upstairs.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" she asked inquisitively.

"I… Um…"

"Don't be shy, Clark. Just show me what…" Lois trailed off when Clark stepped around the corner.

Any comment she'd been about to make died in her throat when she saw him. Her eyes journeyed up from the floor to his face. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to thank Martha Kent. Not to mention congratulate her for a job well done.

Clark's suit was primarily blue and, well, _formfitting_ to say the least. It clung to his muscles of his chest, on top of which a large yellow and red 'S' symbol was emblazoned. She saw red boots, red – underwear? She wondered if she was seeing that right – and a long, red cape.

Without thinking, she reached out, her fingers brushing against the 'S'. She heard the small intake of breath from Clark, and she dropped her hand immediately, taking a step back. They didn't need a repeat of earlier.

At least, not right now.

"What do you think?" he asked. Was it just her imagination or did she detect a husky note in his voice? They really were going to have to talk about what had happened a few mintues ago. Or, of course, something a little less verbal...

"It's tight – good!" she corrected quickly. "I meant good. Mrs. K really went with the whole…color scheme…thing…"

She shifted, uncomfortable under his amused stare. "It's, ah, good."

"Yeah. I'm not sure about the whole cape thing, though," he said, threading it through his fingers.

"That's sort of my fault," Lois admitted. "I may have mentioned that people have reported seeing a cape."

"Oliver," Clark rolled his eyes. "Remind me to kill him."

Lois smiled widely. "I like it."

Clark looked pleased.

"Well," Lois said, digging into her purse and pulling out a camera. "Strike a pose, Smallville."

* * *

Lois slammed the finished folder down on Tess' desk with a smug smile.

"There," she said. "You wanted a picture. I got you a picture."

Tess picked up the pictures, her eyes disbelieving

"I'm… _impressed_," she said with some difficulty. She looked up at Lois. "Fine. The article will run tomorrow. I suggest you go and pack up your stuff."

"_What?_ You aren't _firing _me are you?" Lois demanded, shocked.

Tess gave her a withering look. "You said it yourself; I was going to want to give you a raise. You're officially moving up from the basement. You and Kent. You said he helped you get this, right?"

Lois nodded.

"Right. Well, him too. The two of you make quite the team, evidently. I guess all of your sexual tension is good for something." She leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Be warned though, Lane; I expect nothing less than stories of this quality from you from now on. Now get out of my office."

Lois refrained – just barely – from rolling her eyes. "Gladly."

She shut Tess' office door loudly, hoping to make her point. It wasn't until she had returned to the basement that anyone else gave her any sign of acknowledgement.

"Congratulations, Lois!"

"Great job, Lane!"

"You still gonna visit us down here?"

She smiled. It seemed that news of her promotion had trickled all the way down here already. Tess must have wanted to print the story anyways. Lois greeted everyone in turn before insisting that she really needed to get some work done.

So she was surprised, and a little irritated, to find that her chair was already occupied. And she was more than a little irritated to see her article on her computer screen. Clark turned the chair and grinned at her.

Lois' stomach twisted. Crap. She'd been hoping that when Clark read the article she would be far, far away. But here he was smiling at her, obviously amused after reading it.

"Lois," he greeted, the grin widening.

She leaned over and clicked the article off the screen. She grabbed Clark's hand and led him over to one of the phone booths, pulling him inside. Clark was forcedly reminded of a similar situation a few years back. Only this time Lois didn't pin him against a wall; she just crossed her arms.

Which was slightly disappointing, if you asked Clark.

"Okay," she sighed. "Get it all out now."

"Superman?" he laughed. "Really Lois? I didn't know you thought so highly of me."

"Oh get over it Clark," she rolled her eyes. "You're a _man_ with _superpowers._ Don't read between the lines."

"I'm not." His smile broadened even more, if that was possible. "I wouldn't need to anyway. I believe that there was a line in there that called me – what was it? Oh right: _'dashing and mysterious'._"

She raised her chin in defiance. "Adjectives like that sell papers, Smallville."

"Yeah, but isn't one of the most important things in journalism that you give only facts? Surely the 'Goddess of Journalism' would know that."

He had her there. "Annoy me much more Smallville and this partnership is going to be very painful for you."

"Partnership?" he cocked his head.

Lois grinned. "You and me, Kent. Tess promoted us."

Clark barked out a short, surprised laugh. He picked her up and swung her around briefly in the limited space. When he set her down, he paused. "Wait, why me?"

"I told Tess you helped, remember?" Lois rolled her eyes. "Besides, you couldn't stay a copyboy forever."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Lois."

She smiled in return, before stifling a yawn. "Okay, so today you learned how to fly, I landed my first front page article, we made out, and I got you into a spandex suit." She paused. "Not _there's_ a sentence I never thought I'd say. Except for the front page part." She grinned. "I knew _that_ was coming."

"Productive day," Clark commented with a snicker, his mind wandering back to the barn.

Lois nodded and yawned. "I'm exhausted. Think you could give me a lift home on your way to the farm, Smallville?"

"I didn't bring my tr – oh," he smiled. "Right."

"New or old way?" she asked, pointing to the sky for new and the ground for old.

"New. Might as well practice as much as possible," he winked.

"Alright," Lois smiled. "Take me home, Smallville – I mean, Superman."

* * *

Johnston leaned up against his truck, rubbing his thumb against a spot on his gun. He glanced down at the body next to his feet.

"Sorry Murphy," he shrugged at his former partner. "Nothing personal, of course."

He rolled the body behind a dumpster before climbing back into his truck. He waited patiently until his cell phone rang.

"Jonston," he said shortly.

"Is everything ready?" the woman demanded.

"Of course."

"Good. You have ten minutes."

Jonston snapped the phone shut and smiled. Ten minutes.

Easy.

* * *

"– _Police have been dispatched to numerous locations this morning to respond to incidents caused by widespread panic. The panic stems from an article printed by the _Daily Planet,_ which this morning cited that the mysterious hero that has been reported to be saving people here in Metropolis in recent months is an alien. The author of this article, _Daily Planet _reporter Lois Lane, has yet to be reached for comment about this being she's dubbed 'Superman'. Police are –"_

Lois switched off the radio. "This is ridiculous. You'd think I had said that you were here to suck our brains out, or something."

Clark didn't reply. He just looked out the window, scanning the busy streets as they drove towards the Planet on their morning commute. An uneasy feeling twisted in his stomach. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, which Lois had been quick to comment on when she'd picked him up this morning.

"First day with our new promotion and you look like you've got the beginnings of two black eyes," she had shaken her head. "Were you that worried about the article?"

Now Lois turned her car down another street. "Ugh! Talk about a traffic jam. This could go on for miles. Figures. The first day out of the basement and we're going to be late. Tess is going to kill us."

Clark turned his head. "There's a parking structure right there. We could walk the rest of the way; it might be faster."

With a nod, Lois steered the car off the street before climbing out of the car to follow Clark, who suddenly became acutely aware of his surroundings.

The tension in the air of the city streets was practically palpable. Some people looked nervous; others angry. Some just looked plain excited. Clark edged closer to Lois, nervous for her safety. He hadn't expected this reaction from people. The whole city was on edge.

Lois cast him a searching glance out of the corner of her eye. She sighed impatiently, grabbing his arm and suddenly dragging him off into an alley.

"Spill it," she said firmly, once they were off the street.

"What are you talking about, Lois?"

"You're brooding," she accused. "So either you just saw Lana Lang or something else is wrong."

He marveled slightly at how well she knew him. "It's just that this is all wrong. I'm supposed to stand for something good. Something that represents hope. Instead, people are acting like the world is ending."

Lois studied his face in silence for a minute. "Clark, this is just day 1. How did you think people were going to react when they found out there was an alien – intergalactic traveler," she corrected herself with a slight smile, "among them? Look at half the alien movies out there, Clark. Some of them probably _do_ think the world is ending. I mean, name one movie that represents them in a positive way."

"E.T.," Clark answered, recalling the movie from when he was younger.

"Right. If I get the urge to lead you around using Reese's Pieces, I'll let you know Smallville."

When Clark still looked dejected, Lois placed a hand on his chest. "Look, they just don't know what Superman is capable of yet. You just need to give it some time. When the time comes, you'll show them that there's still some good left in this place." She was quiet for a minute. Her face softened a bit before she said, "You want my opinion? I think you'll do great, Smallville. You already are."

Clark stared at her, his mind suddenly a blank. Her words penetrated some part of his brain, but most of his thoughts were otherwise occupied with the small epiphany he seemed to be having.

For days he'd been agonizing over the decision to make Lois forget the shocking revelation she'd come to about him. He had thought he was doing the right thing, protecting her, saving her a lot of pain. But Oliver had pointed it out first: that excuse was old. And a large part of Clark wondered if it even applied here. No one who had found out about his secret had ever made this much of a difference, this much of a change. She'd known about him for barely four days. Four days, and this is what she'd done.

Lois had changed everything. He couldn't let her forget about this. And he knew why.

Long ago he had realized that he had feelings for the woman standing in front of him. A _long_ time ago. When exactly, he didn't know. Maybe from the first time she had rolled her eyes at him and called him Smallville. Really, he didn't care when it was. Because back then he hadn't realized what those feelings were. And later on, when he realized that he was very much attracted to her, he still hadn't got it.

But he loved her. He loved her so much that he very much wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless, picking up where they'd left off the day before at the barn. It annoyed him that he had taken this long to figure it out. Here she was, standing in front of him, encouraging him as she did her best to help get him with his destiny, and he couldn't think of any other explanation for what he was feeling other than the fact that he loved her. God, he was stupid. Of course he loved her.

"Now come on," she was saying. "We're going to be late for work."

She turned to walk back out to the street, when he caught her arm. "Lois, wait."

"What is it, Smallville?"

Why _wouldn't_ he tell her? He loved her. She should know…

"Lois," he breathed. She froze at the soft tone of his voice. She looked up at him. "Lois, thank you. For everything you've done, thank you. I couldn't have done this without you. You know that, right?"

She smiled. "I know you're grateful, Clark. But why are you telling me this now?"

"Because," he said intently. "Because Lois I –"

_Bang!_

The loud boom rumbled close by. Screams echoed out in the distance as the asphalt beneath their feet trembled. Lois looked towards the end of the alley.

"What the hell was that?" Lois whispered once the tremors had ended.

Clark motioned for her to stay where she was as he cautiously made his way to the end of the alley and peered around the edge. A thick funnel of black smoke rose from a building close by. Debris was raining down onto the street.

He turned back. "Lois, it looks like there's been some kind of explosion –"

The deafening crack was unmistakable this time, being so close. At first only dust showered down from the building that made one side of the alley's wall. Then the building buckled, collapsing under its own weight. It seemed to fold in on itself like a house of cards. Clark barely had his thoughts together enough to react until he saw the chunks of concrete and debris falling down into the alley. He barely had a chance to see Lois' stunned expression before she disappeared and was lost behind a wall of pieces from the ruined building. Terrified, Clark lurched towards her.

And was immediately hit by a wall of nausea and pain. It crippled him instantly, causing him to stumble.

Kryptonite.

_No,_ he thought in anguish. _Not this. Not now!_

But it was too late. The building settled, and the dust cleared. Clark forced himself into an upright position. Lois was no longer there. In her place a mound of concrete, twisted metal, and ash.

"Lois? Lois?!"

* * *

**Okay, so I hoped that was enjoyable. I'm _exhausted_, so my editing might not have been the greatest. So I'm going to go sleep (even though it's only 7pm where I am, lol), and as for _you_, well, please hit the review button. It keeps me going! :)**

**PS - Only about 2 chapters left!**


	6. Memory

**Author's Note:**Wow. 19 days, six chapters, and 125 reviews. Wow. I am completely awed at how great you guys have been to me so far. And now we're in the final stretches of the story. Wow. Really. This chapter is a bit more angsty than the others, but I hope you'll enjoy it. This is the second last chapter guys! You guys seriously rock. :) Oh, and yes, **Reflection of Perfection**, I brought back Ollie. ;)

"Lois!" Clark screamed. He dove towards the pile of rubble. His body revolted; pain was coursing through his system, making his eyes water and stream. It had been a while since he'd felt pain like this.

He dug his fingers into the rocks, shifting as many of them out of his way as he could. "Lois! Lois can you hear me?!"

No one answered.

_She's dead. Oh God, she's dead._

_No. No, no, no, no, NO!_

"Lois!" he called frantically. The next rock he moved uncovered a chunk of Kryptonite. The sudden burst of pain was like a slap in the face. He crumpled against the heap, feeling his muscles spasm. The pain intensified…

"Clark?"

The groan was so faint, so weak that for a moment Clark thought maybe he'd imagined it. But his eyes widened, and a diminutive spark of hope leapt up in his chest as he heard it again. "_Clark?_"

"Lois?" he coughed, his fingers sifting through the suffocating mixture of dust and ash.

"_Clark, help._"

He exhaled with relief. That was definitely her under there. But how deeply buried was she? The thought scared him as he attempted to shift some of the rocks. "Lois I'm here. Just hold on."

"Clark," her voice was tight, panic leaking into each word. "Clark – I can't move!"

He stopped, pushing thoughts of paralysis out of his mind. He moved more chunks of concrete, buckling again as he uncovered another piece of Kryptonite. He groaned.

"Lois," he panted. "How far down are you? Can you see any light?"

There was a pause. "No. I can't see anything."

Clark wiped some sweat off his forehead.

"But – I can feel air. Like a breeze, maybe?"

"Good," he gasped. "Good. Just hold on, I'll get you out."

He tried pushing another slab of concrete away. His fingers slipped, and he fell against it, black spots tinting his vision. He couldn't move it. Not an inch.

"Clark?" Lois's voice was shaky. "Clark what's wrong? Can you get me out?"

_No,_ he thought, ice flooding his twisted stomach. _I can't._

But out loud he said, "There's Kryptonite. I don't have my strength." He dragged a hand through his sweaty hair. "Just give me a minute. I'll figure something out."

There was silence from Lois' end. Screams echoed through the alley from the street, loud and desperate. It wasn't fair, Clark thought. All his abilities and when he needed them the most…

"Clark."

He lifted his head off his arms. "Yes?"

His voice sounded weak. Underneath the rubble, Lois cringed. "Go."

Clark's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Go," she repeated. "This is your chance. Those people need you. They need Superman."

"So do you!"

"I'll still be here when you come back," she pointed out. "There's fresh air coming in and everything. Clark, _go_. We'll figure out how to get me out when you come back."

"Lois –"

"Clark, _go!_ This stuff will kill you! Just get out of here and do your job!" She took a deep breath. "Get out of here, Smallville."

He swallowed thickly.

"Okay," he whispered hoarsely. Within seconds his dress shirt and pants were gone, his suit in their place. "I'll be back, Lois," he promised. He sped away.

Lois closed her eyes, her head lolling back. "I know."

* * *

Oliver Queen spat dust out of his mouth, blinking in confusion. He couldn't see past a thick blanket off smoke that engulfed both inside and outside of his car. Screams pierced through the dark, terrified and shrill. He leaned forward, his hand searching the front of the car for his driver.

"Carl?" he coughed. "Carl, are you okay?"

No one answered. Instead, Oliver's hand struck a wall of twisted metal; the front of the car was completely crushed.

Before he could react, something grabbed onto the back of his jacket, pulling him through the open roof – which he was stunned to see, seeing as the car was _not_ a convertible. Oliver blinked as a figure came into view.

"Clar –?"

"Superman," he was quickly corrected. He set Oliver down on the trunk of his car.

"Nice outfit, Boy Scout," Oliver said in a low tone. "What happened to no capes? Better yet, what the hell happened _here?_"

"An explosion," Superman informed him. He grabbed Oliver's arm. "Oliver, I need your help."

"I don't know if I could get back to my apartment quick enough to get my Green Arrow gear–"

"I don't need help here," he interrupted him. "There was a second explosion – an apartment building down the road." He lowered his voice further. "Lois is trapped under there, Oliver."

"You didn't get her out?"

"I couldn't."

"Meteor rocks?" Oliver guessed.

"Yes." He took a deep breath. "I need you to try to clear some away so I can dig her out. I'm going to go make sure everyone gets out of this building. Can you go do that for me?"

Oliver nodded. "Of course."

When he disappeared through the smoke, Superman raced up to the top floor.

If he had expected to feel weakened, he wasn't. There was no trace of Kryptonite in here with him. Shadowy figures were stumbling around in a daze, hacking as they sucked in the smoke. One of the figures stumbled towards him bumping into him lightly. She was a young girl, only thirteen or fourteen. She blinked up at him in surprise.

"You –" she stammered. "You're –"

He nodded. "I'm Superman."

* * *

The blackness was suffocating, pressing in at her eyelids and making her feel claustrophobic. It was just so _dark…_ She was reminded of being little and scared of the dark. What had the General said then? 'Lanes are not afraid of anything'. But as she lay unmoving in the pitch black, she couldn't think of any other emotion to feel.

Lois Lane was afraid.

The concrete slab on her chest was heavy. Not so heavy that it she couldn't breathe, but enough that she was pinned completely, feeling the weight slowly crushing her ribs. She could taste coppery blood in mouth, and more of it was seeping through her shirt and down her arm. Lois tried not to panic again; it was too quiet. Now that Clark was gone, the silence sounded deafening. She was alone.

Again.

"Lois?"

Her heart leapt at the sound of her name.

"Clark?" she called hopefully.

"Lois? Is that you?" This time she recognized the speaker.

"Ollie?" she coughed.

"Lois." Oliver's voice was very close now. She heard him swear. "God, Lois. Are you okay?"

"Oh sure. I often like to lie down in alleys with apartment buildings on top of me. Just another Thursday."

"It's good to know the building didn't crush out any of your winning personality," he remarked. She heard him shift through some of the debris.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, trying to free one of her arms.

"I ran into Clark," was his short answer. "He told me about the mess you'd gotten yourself into. And –" She heard him mutter another curse. "– he asked me to come help."

There was a clattering sound, and dust rained down from the rocks above her. She choked and sputtered as it landed in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Oliver grunted. "Getting rid of the meteor rocks for Clark. This way he'll be able to get you out of here."

She was quiet for a moment. "So you saw him. Is he…?"

Oliver stopped sorting through the rocks for a second. "He's doing great, Lois. Really. He's making everyone proud. He was on his way to start helping people out of the other building when I left."

She relaxed a little at that, listening to Oliver work instead.

Outside the heap of broken building, Oliver wiped blood off his hands. They were cut and blistered already. He pulled out more chunks of meteor rock, throwing them into a sewer drain. He winced as a few rocks tumbled onto his feet.

"So why aren't you out there helping?" Lois asked curiously, breaking the silence.

He smiled slightly, heaving another rock away. "It's not Green Arrow's turn to shine. Besides, Clark was always a different kind of hero than I was."

"One with an annoyingly straight moral compass?" she suggested.

"Well, I was actually going to say one with superpowers," he laughed. Then he paused. "Wait. What's wrong with my moral compass?"

He heard her laugh quietly. Shaking his head, he dipped down again. "I have a feeling that Superman is going to be a big hit with the people of Metropolis. Nice name, by the way."

"Shut up. He's a man with Superpowers. What is it with you guys looking for hidden meanings?"

As he pulled another rock away, a whole section tumbled to the ground. Lois gave a strangled cry from underneath the pile.

Panicked, Oliver called, "Lois? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you knocked some concrete off me. I can see a light."

"Don't go towards it," Oliver warned.

"Not _that_ kind off light, you idiot." Lois rolled her eyes. "Sunlight. Hold on, I think I can move my arm."

There was a slight scuffling sound. Lois pushed her hand along the ground towards the light and wedged it through the small gap. Oliver looked down as her fingers bushed his shoe. He bent down and grabbed onto her hand.

"Can you move anymore?" he asked.

"No, I'm still pinned." Lois blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Now she could _see_ the flat chunk of concrete keeping her pinning. Somehow seeing it made the pain feel even worse. Now she could see the reason why she was still alive: a few pieces of bent metal frame were curved over her, keeping most of the heavier debris off her body. She was trapped in a cavity. It was like half a cage, keeping her locked underground.

_Above ground,_ she reminded herself. _Just under an apartment building._

Oliver grunted again. "_Damn_ it. I can't move the rest of this."

"Did you get the rest of the Kr – meteor rocks away?" she asked quietly.

"I think so. I can't see anymore." He slumped down to the ground beside her hand. He looked around. "You don't think anyone was in this building, do you?"

"No. I drive by it almost everyday. It's vacant. The _other_ building, though…"

"It was a family complex," Oliver said darkly. "Definitely people in there."

Lois swore angrily.

"It didn't go down like this one, though," he assured her. "A big section's gone and there are a lot of fires, but it didn't come down like this. They must have used a more powerful explosive on this one." He laughed half-heartedly. "Leave it to you to be by the only building in Metropolis that falls down today."

"Why would they use a more powerful explosive on the _empty_ building?" she wondered aloud. "That doesn't make sense."

"It does if you're aiming for fear, rather than destruction," Oliver said thoughtfully. He stopped when a sudden thought occurred to him. "It's a bit of a coincidence, isn't it, that the day the world finds out about Superman, Metropolis starts blowing up?"

"What do you mean?" she said. She snorted. "You're not suggesting Clark and I did this, are you Ollie?"

"No. Clark would never blow up a building full of people, and even if you got that angry, I doubt you'd stick close enough to the blast to get yourself hurt." Oliver tilted his head. "Maybe this is some sort of test. Someone trying to see what Superman is capable of."

"They plan fast then. The article only came out a few hours ago."

"Who knew about this article before hand? Besides you, me, and Clark."

"Um, Mrs. Kent, a friend of Clark's, and Tess Mercer," Lois answered. "I know it wasn't the first two, and I doubt even Tess did this. I mean, she's a bitch but I can't really see her giving the orders to demolish the city."

Oliver didn't answer. _Maybe it wasn't her orders,_ he thought darkly.

* * *

"Is there anyone else?" a police officer asked him, staring up at him in awe as he landed a few feet away, passing a woman off to a paramedic. It had taken just forty minutes to clear everyone out of the seven floor building. An additional five minutes had been used to put out the flames. Now all that remained was a smoldering, partially destroyed shell of a building.

Superman turned his head, scanning the building with his x-ray vision. "No. Everyone's safe."

The officer nodded. "Th – thank you."

Superman smiled in response. "It's my job."

"Superman! Superman, over here!"

Flashbulbs went off left and right as reporters flooded the scene. The police rushed to keep them back.

"Superman!" one woman yelled, waving her microphone. "Do you have time for a few questions?"

He shook his head. "I have somewhere else I have to be."

Without another word, he shot off into the air, away from the ruined building. He landed – in the section that still counted as an alley – next to the ruined apartment building. Oliver sat up against it, something pale clutched in his hand.

_A hand,_ he realized. _Lois' hand._

"Oliver," he said worriedly. "Is she –?"

"She's fine, considering," Oliver said, looking up with a slight smile. "Angry, but fine."

"You try being buried alive and see how you feel," was Lois' irritated reply.

Clark smiled in relief. He approached the rubble. Nothing. No pain. He turned to Oliver, who scrambled to his feet.

"I got rid of all the meteor rocks," Oliver assured him.

Clark nodded. "Stand back." Bending down next to Lois' hand, he intertwined his fingers in hers, giving them a little squeeze. "Can you cover your head at all? Some of the smaller rocks might fall on you."

"There's a metal plate or something over my head," she replied, squeezing back. "Just get me outta here, Smallville."

He nodded, releasing her hands. He dug his hands under what looked like half a wall. He tossed it away from them easily. He sifted through a few more blocks before he got sight of a chunk of chocolate brown hair. Plucking a bent metal frame out of the ground, he exhaled in relief when he saw Lois' hazel eyes blinking up at him. A large piece of foundation covered from her shoulders to mid-calf. He tore that off too.

Lois sucked in a deep breath greedily, and then flinched at the pain. Clark bent down quickly, scooping her up off the ground. His eyes roved over her quickly, checking for broken bones or fractures. Nothing; just dark bruises and cuts. Blood was smeared down her neck and left arm, but it could have been worse, he knew. So much worse.

He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. He pressed his lips against the top of her head. "God. Thank God."

Oliver stood off to the side, trying to give his friends a moment. When neither of them had moved after five minutes, however, he cleared his throat pointedly.

"Uh, Clark? The hospital, maybe?"

"No! No hospitals," Lois objected.

"Lois," Clark smiled down at her. "You need to get checked out."

Lois groaned. Clark looked over at Oliver. "We'll see you later." He made to speed away, but stopped, turning back to face his friend.

"Oliver," he said, his eyes wide and sincere. "Thank you."

Lois looked between them, confused, but Ollie just smiled. He understood. "You're welcome."

He watched silently as his two friends disappeared in a red, blue, and black blur.

* * *

"Lois?" Clark's voice was quiet as he stepped into her hospital room, shutting the door behind him. He had changed back into his work clothes now, the soot and ash cleaned from his face as well.

Lois tore her gaze away from the TV – which had been replaying some of Clark's saves for the past two hours – and smiled at him. "Hey Smallville." She gestured to the TV. "You're famous."

Clark didn't even bother looking. He was staring at her, taking note of her injuries. Lois' mouth tightened.

"Stop that," she warned.

"Stop – stop what?" he asked, caught off guard.

"Trying to find a way to blame yourself," she responded. "'Cause so help me God, Smallville, if you start that you'll be waking up in a bed full of Kryptonite."

Clark grinned in spite of himself. He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of her bed, leaning down to wrap his arms around her. This time it was Lois who was caught off guard.

"You scared the hell outta me, Lane," he murmured, throwing her words back at her.

Lois smiled against his shoulder. "You swore, farm boy."

"Trust me, I was saying a lot worse when you were trapped under that building," he said darkly.

Lois shook her head, trying to lighten the mood. "Clark," she teased, "what would Mrs. Kent say?"

Clark pulled away, not bothering to move from her bed to the chair next to it. After all that had happened today, even the foot that separated the chair from the bed seemed ridiculously too far. His emotions were torn between a sharp relief and elation, and exhaustion. Today felt like it had lasted years rather than hours.

Lois studied Clark's faraway expression with a frown. She had expected him to be happy about Superman's success; everyone thought he was a hero, after all. Instead, he looked like a kid who had just watched his puppy get run over.

"Clark?" she started. He looked up, broken out of his trance. "What's wrong? You look like you've just lost your best friend."

He smiled sadly before quietly pointing out, "I almost did."

"Yeah, but…" Lois shook her head, feeling confused. She was _fine._ Why couldn't he realize that? "You _didn't_. I mean, I won't be bench pressing anymore buildings anytime soon, but other than that…"

He sighed. "Lois, you don't understand. I've been so _stupid_. Today I was so worried about losing you, and the ironic thing is I was planning on losing you all week."

Now she was completely lost. "What are you talking about, Clark?" she said slowly.

He brought his gaze up to meet hers. "Do you remember when you asked me why I hadn't told you about me?"

"Yes. You said it was dangerous, and people get hurt."

Clark nodded. "Exactly. Lois, I never meant for you to get dragged into this. The last thing I wanted was to put you in danger. So when I went to get you from my Fortress, I was going to have Jor-El take away your memories. I've done it before – Chloe, being the most recent. But when I got there, he told me that it was too dangerous to take away your memories right then. Jor-El said he'd bring us back in a few days so he could do it."

Lois looked like she had been slapped. "You… you were going to take away my memories?"

"Only the ones about me being an alien," he replied weakly. He hated the pained expression on her face, and hated himself more for being responsible for it.

She stared at him, her mouth open. "So…" she attempted to find her voice. "So you were just _humoring_ me all week? Using me to get Project Superman up and running?"

"_What?_" Now _Clark_ looked like he'd been hit. "No! No, that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" she demanded through numb lips.

"I didn't – I don't regret _anything_ that happened this week. But at first, I didn't want to risk you – to put you in danger. Lois, people who know about me _always_ wind up hurt," he defended. "I didn't want that for you!"

"That's not your decision!" Lois almost yelled. "It's not your decision to make, Clark. I'm a big girl. I can make up my own mind, and if there's a risk in my life? It's _my_ decision if I want to take it. Not yours. You have no right to take that away from me! _None._" She took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "Look, I know you think that you're looking out for me. But it's my life. And let's face it: I'm usually in danger anyway. What you're doing – it isn't fair. Not to you, or any of the people you've taken this from. Don't you find this entire thing lonely enough without making it worse on yourself? Are you that much of a martyr?"

Clark didn't answer at first.

"I thought it would be the safest thing for you," he whispered.

"Clark," Lois sighed. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly. "Please."

When her eyes opened, they were bright with unshed tears. "I'm sick of people thinking that pushing me away is what's best for me. The General did that. Lucy. Oliver. Don't you do it too." She swatted impatiently at some of the tears that had managed to escape. "I'm not trying to guilt you into letting me remember, Clark. But this week – although crazy – was one of the best I've ever had. Please don't make me forget."

Her voice cracked on the last word. Clark winced.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He pulled her back to him, his arms winding around her. He paused, his lips at her ear. "I _don't_ want you to forget, Lois. No one had ever done this for me before. No one has ever pushed me this far, this fast. You changed _everything,_ barely lifting a finger. You're Hurricane Lane," he laughed weakly. "I can't let you forget, Lois. It's selfish, but I love you too much."

She froze against his shoulder. She pulled back slowly, tears still streaking their way down her face. "What did you say?"

"I love you," he said firmly. "It took me too long to figure it out, but I do. Whenever Jor-El takes you back, I'll go too. I'll tell him I changed my mind. I love you, Lois."

She stared, her mouth open slightly. He smiled at her stunned expression before continuing.

"I swear, Lois. There's no way I can let you forget these past few days. And there's no way I'm letting you forget about _this._"

His hands had slid up to her face during his speech, and he used this leverage to bring her closer. He kissed her softly, pouring his relief, and his pain, and his happiness into it. She tasted salty, he noticed, from all the tears. But that didn't make it any less than it what it was: amazing. Her hands slid up to form manacles around his wrists, keeping him in place.

She pulled away a short minute later, moving her face to his shirt, hiding her expression. Clark felt his chest tighten, feeling worried. Until he felt her smile against him.

"I love you too, Smallville." She looked up and smiled again.

Unable to suppress a smile, he kissed her again. When she pulled away the second time, she raised an eyebrow.

"You know, just because I love you and you're –" She mouthed the next word. "–_Superman_ now, doesn't mean I'll stop busting your chops at every opportunity."

"I wouldn't expect any less, Lois," he laughed. "Although are you sure this is what you want? You do seem to be making more frequent hospital visits since all this started."

"It's okay," she shrugged, the side of her mouth curving up in a smile. "There are some really cute doctors wandering around."

Clark rolled his eyes as she laughed at his expression. He leaned in again, but froze midway.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking disappointed.

"Sirens," he replied. "There's a robbery a few blocks away."

She nodded and tilted her head. "See you later?"

He nodded, a slow smile curving across his face. And then he was gone.

* * *

"Well hello there," a familiar voice said from the doorway of her room.

Lois looked up to see Oliver enter her room, a greasy paper bag in hand.

"Ollie," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might like to escape bad hospital food," he said, holding up the bag, "in exchange for some bad fast food."

Lois grinned. "You thought right."

Oliver passed her the bag. "So where's Clark? I would have thought he'd be glued to your side for at least another twenty four hours."

"He had to go help someone," she shrugged, sinking a big bite into the burger. "Mm. Food, I missed you."

She brought her gaze back to Oliver and asked thickly, "I don't suppose you brought a coffee, too?"

He grinned. "Sorry, but no."

She shrugged good-naturedly and continued shoveling in the burger. Oliver regarded her with raised eyebrows.

"You're in an awfully good mood," he commented. "Especially when you consider a) you're Lois Lane, and b) you are currently in a hospital."

"Maybe it's because I know I won't be forgetting this anytime soon," she replied, crumpling up the wrapper. Oliver's eyes widened.

"Clark – He actually told you?"

"Yep. Everything from the memory loss scandal to the whole 'being in love with me' part."

Oliver stared, completely taken aback. "He said _that_ too?"

"Yeah." She fixed him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Exactly how long have you been listening to us whine about each other behind our backs?"

"Long enough to be glad that you guys finally got it over with," he grinned boyishly. "Not too bad for a boy scout."

"Boy scout, huh? Hm. He sure doesn't kiss like one," Lois muttered mischievously.

Oliver held up a hand. "Hey, I'm happy for you guys but there's only so much I want to know."

Lois laughed. Then she winced, placing a hand on her ribs. "Ouch."

Oliver got to his feet. "I'll get a nurse. Maybe we can get more painkillers in here."

He reached for the door. But as his hand grazed the door knob, the room flashed a bright blue, temporarily blinding him. He gasped, whirling around and shielding his eyes. The glare disappeared a second later, fading away completely. And then he noticed.

The bed was empty.

Lois was gone.

* * *

Lois' eyes flew open with a gasp. Her eyes darted around wildly. She was back. Back in the icy fortress that _still_ haunted her dreams on occasion. The place that had been the kick-off for her shocking revelations about her best friend. But instead of the wonder and awe that usually accompanied this place, she felt angry.

She was lying on her back, once again resting on a rock hard slab of ice that was raised off the floor. Like before, she was shrouded in the calming, white light. But she felt far from calm.

Lois tried to sit up, but found herself incapacitated. She couldn't even move her arms.

"_Welcome back, Lois Lane."_

"Why am I here?" she demanded. "Why did you bring me back?"

"_I made a promise to Kal-El that I would erase your memories."_

"No!" The yell sounded strangled to even her own ears. "You can't do this! I talked to Clark – he doesn't want me to forget anymore! He said I could remember!"

"_Kal-El did not speak of this to me."_

"Then bring him here!" she shouted desperately. "He'll tell you!"

In the back of her mind, it occurred to her how ridiculous she sounded. She was begging – which she never did. But the thought of losing what she had gained over the past few days was terrifying enough that she probably would have thrown herself at his feet – if he had any, that is, which he didn't – and groveled.

"_I must remove your memories. It has to be done."_

"No, it doesn't," she cried. "You said I was important! You said I was supposed to help him! Why are you doing this to us?"

"_You have helped my son. And you will continue to help him. But you will help him as Kal-El, not Clark Kent. You will no longer know the connection between the two."_

"That's not fair!" Tears were blurring her vision now.

"_Life – on any planet – is rarely fair, Lois Lane. You play a great part in helping my son achieve his destiny. He is to be a great hero. Kal-El's mother and I knew this before we sent him here. We knew of Jonathon and Martha Kent. We knew of you. We knew of the dangers he would face, of the sacrifices he would make. This is one of them. Unfortunately, it is yours too."_

"I love him," she informed him desperately. "And he loves me. You know that, don't you?"

"_I knew of this too. I'm sorry Lois Lane. I'm only doing what needs to be done." _

* * *

Clark dodged his way down the hospital corridor, a content smile on his face. He liked this feeling – the feeling of relaxed bliss. Everything was going to be okay for once. Everyone was excited about Superman; ninety-five percent of all the conversations he'd overheard so far on his way back from Starbucks – which he had stopped by only after he had finished stopping the robbery, of course – had had to do with him. On top of that, no one was _scared_ of him anymore. Everything they were saying was positive.

And then there was Lois. His grin widened, and he was willing to bet that he looked like a giant idiot, walking through the hospital halls grinning his head off. But he didn't care. Not at all. Lois was safe, and better yet, she loved him. She wanted to stay with him. She wanted to choose to keep his secret rather than go the easy way. He should have known she would turn down the easy route, he supposed. This was Lois Lane: the tougher something was, the more interest she had.

He counted the rooms, trying to remember what room she was in and _not_ spill her coffee at the same time. Some guys brought flowers; he was bringing coffee. Lois would appreciate it more, he knew.

Room 603. He turned into the room, his smile still broad. Clark stepped back when he almost bumped into another figure in the room.

"Oliver," he said in surprise. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

His gaze travelled over to the bed – empty. He turned back to the blond billionaire. "Where's Lois?"

Oliver stared at him, his eyes wide and confused. Clark's heart sped up slightly. The grin slid of his face. Something was wrong.

"Oliver," Clark said slowly. "Where is she?"

He didn't answer. His jaw opened and shut pointlessly.

"Oliver!" Clark grabbed his friend's jacket, shaking him slightly. "Snap out of it! Where is she? Where did Lois go?"

"She's gone. She disappeared." Oliver shook his head, finding his voice. "There was this flash of light, and then…she was just gone."

The coffee slipped out of Clark's grasp and hit the floor, spilling out and cascading over the floor. He stared at his friend. Gone. She was gone.

"Clark, what's going on?" Oliver was saying.

"Jor-El," Clark managed to say through numb lips. "He took her back. He's going to erase her memories of me."

His gaze snapped back to Ollie. "When did she disappear?" he demanded. "When did it happen?"

"Only a minute before you came back," Oliver replied. "I –"

But Clark was already gone.

* * *

It grew bright above her, the light intensifying. She felt tired, her lids sliding closed.

_What are you doing?_ a voice in her head demanded. _Don't let him do this! Stay awake!_

It was a pointless battle, though. Jor-El would get his way; even _she_ couldn't fight the odd alien technology. A random haze of images flooded through her mind. Waking up in the Fortress; Clark stepping out of the shadows to own up as Kal-El; Clark's abilities; his face when he'd flown; their kiss; Clark in his suit, looking like the very picture of a hero; his smile when he said he loved her…

Lois tried to hold that last image in her mind, unwilling to let it go. But, again, it was pointless. Her consciousness began to slip away. For a moment she could have sworn she heard a new voice, whisper in her ear.

"_Thank you, for helping our son."_

And somewhere, she wasn't sure, she thought maybe she heard someone else scream her name through the fog of her mind.

"Lois, no!"

Then it all went black, and Lois Lane knew no more.

* * *

**Cliffie. I know, I'm evil. One more chapter to go! Read and Review please! :)**


	7. Future

**Author's Note:** This is it. The final chapter. I'm pretty sad to see this go, but it was a great ride. Plus, it'll be nice to get some sleep again. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and read this story. The support was overwhelmingly awesome. This one is a bit shorter than the last few, but I think it's a good wrap-up. This is the ending I saw from day 1. Thanks so much guys. I'd like to especially thank my new friend Emma, who kept me sane while I was writing this. This one's for you. :)

**PS:** For the purpose of this chapter, Chloe has her memory back, like she did in Legion. And I really hope I didn't just spoil that for anyone who hasn't seen it.

* * *

**Beep.**

"_You have three new messages. Message one."_

**Beep.**

"_Clark? It's Oliver. Come on man, pick up the phone. It's been two days. Are you going to pick up? Fine. Have you even left…? Of course you haven't. Look, there's some important…_ business_ I need to talk to you about. So whenever you decided to rejoin the world, call me."_

**Beep.**

"_Clark sweetie, it's Mom. Honey, Oliver called me and told me everything. I realized I never had time to talk to you about what you've been doing lately. I'm very proud of you, Clark. I know your father would be, too. We always knew you'd do great. Clark, about Lois… If you need to talk, please call. I hate to think you're sitting there all alone… Well, I love you. Call me back soon."_

**Beep.**

"_Hey Clark, it's me Chloe! Jimmy and I are waiting to catch our flight back. The honeymoon was great. Remind me to thank Oliver for these tickets to Hawaii – this place is beautiful! It almost makes up for the disaster that was the wedding. Anyway, I just thought I'd give you a call. It seems like forever since I talked to you or Lois. I haven't been able to get a hold of her lately. Tell her I love her and I'll be back soon when you see her next. Bye!"_

Clark reached over and pressed a button wordlessly.

"_Messages erased."_

* * *

Tess Mercer tapped her pen along her desk impatiently, her eyes flicking back and forth in between her lap and the door of her study. Her stomach knotted nervously.

Nervous? No. She chased the very thought away quickly. She was Tess Mercer. She did _not_ get nervous.

_Still,_ she thought to herself. If the rumors were true…

She grabbed one of the many papers on her desk as a distraction. It was the article about the so-called Superman. Actually, the so-called part was uncalled for. The strange cape-donning alien had done well with the distraction she'd provided him with. Or maybe test would be the more appropriate word.

Either way, she had gotten what she was after. Everything Lane had written about him was true.

Lane. Tess sighed irritably. No one had saw the intrusive woman for three days, which was annoying, to say the least. As much as Tess couldn't stand her, she was good at what she did. And with her gone, there wasn't a great selection to choose from to write about Superman's latest escapades. Even Kent had been gone lately, calling in sick for the past few days. They weren't exactly proving their worth for their promotion. Her luck, the two of them were probably off somewhere '_celebrating'_.

Tossing the paper unceremoniously away from her, Tess reclined behind her desk. She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against them wearily.

"Ms Mercer?" her assistant's voice cut through her thoughts.

"_What?_" she snapped, not bothering to give the woman so much as a glance.

"Um," the woman's voice was slightly timid now, "someone is here to see you."

"I'm _busy_," she said sharply.

"But –"

"I said I'm _busy!_" she hissed, her eyes flying open to glare at the woman. The blonde flushed and backed out of the room. Tess shook her head and leaned her head back again, closing her eyes once more. That woman was lucky she hadn't lost her job already…

"Ms Mercer?" The voice was slightly amused, in a detached sort of way.

Tess froze behind her hands.

"I see you've been enjoying keeping my desk warm while I was gone," the voice drawled.

Tess rose to her feet, her hands dropping away.

"Mr. Luthor," she greeted curtly. "You're back."

"Yes," Lex grinned. "I am."

* * *

There was a point, between sleep and wakefulness, where you lost track of everything. Your name, the date, where you were... Everything just… poof. Gone.

And the best part was you didn't care.

And that's where Lois found herself. Floating happily between states of consciousness, not even able to bring herself to _try_ to wake up. And that was okay. For once in her life, she wasn't worried. She didn't have to care about work, or family that depended on her, or friends who needed her help. Or _men._

Yeah, it was nice to forget about them for once.

A very small nagging voice at the back of her mind reminded her that she would have to wake up soon, but she smothered it quickly. She would deal with waking up when it was time; right now, it wasn't. So she floated, content for once to throw her thoughts away and relax.

Outside of her fuzzy state of mind, she noticed a sharp, subtle movement on her part.

_You shivered, _she thought calmly. _You're cold._

Cold? Why did she have to be cold in this happy place?

"_Are you cold?"_ The voice wasn't hers, but again she failed to rouse enough interest to open her eyes and see who it belonged to.

Instead she nodded very slightly, not sure if her head had actually moved or if she had only imagined it.

But she must have done something right, because she felt herself shift slightly, and then she was warm. She reveled in the feeling, sensing herself slipping back into the fuzzy, floating state.

"_Better?_"

_Much,_ she wanted to reply, but she didn't. Instead she let herself go, at ease once again. Reality was waiting, she knew. But for now, she didn't have to face it.

She was safe.

* * *

Lois shuddered as a slight breeze caressed her bare arms. She was cold again. She reached out for her warmth, but clasped down on nothing but air. It registered that her mind was no longer a foggy haze as she felt herself slip back into control of her body. As feeling returned, so did awareness. She felt the cotton sheets of her bed underneath her, and her overstuffed pillow beneath her cheek. She noticed the cool breeze seeping into the room from her bedroom window, and the sound of passing cars outside.

Something was off, though. Lois struggled to remember coming home. Nothing. How had she gotten home? In fact, where had she been all _day_?

Someone shifted in the room, alerting her that she wasn't alone. On guard, her eyes popped open and passed over to the source of the sound. She nearly fell out of her bed in surprise. Smallville sat across the room, his face illuminated by a patch of moonlight streaming in the open window. She stared, uncomprehending as to why Clark Kent was sitting in her room staring out her window, looking broodier than she had ever seen him.

She swallowed loudly, which caught his attention. Clark turned his head, his gaze zeroing in on her. When he saw her staring back, his expression lightened slightly, turning from sad to concerned.

She had her mouth open, ready to poise the question of why the hell he was in her apartment, when it hit.

Her mouth snapped shut with a loud click.

Her body reacted before her mind did. She stumbled out of her bed and flung herself at him, which, she discovered, was not unlike running into a wall. He cushioned the blow for her by standing up and catching her as she neared him. To both her and Clark's surprise, she burst into tears, burying her face in his chest. This time, her tears weren't from anger, or pain, like it had been so often in recent months. This time, they were the result of happiness. Because she _remembered_. She could see it all, flashing through her mind. The past week was still there in her head, clearer than anything else. Everything from waking up in Clark's fortress, to her pleas with Jor-El to let her keep the memories of who Clark really was.

Lois gripped him tighter, as though holding him closer would make everything all the more real. She remembered. The thought reverberated through her head. She fought for control over her emotions, but it was too difficult. It was understandable, though; what she had almost lost was too important to just shrug everything off. Memories were too precious, despite the callous way Jor-El dealt with them. Because Lois knew the reality of it; even if she had forgotten and Clark had just retold her, it wouldn't have been the same. You couldn't recapture a moment, no matter how hard you tried. It didn't work that way. It would always be different. And the thought of losing the reality she had discovered with Clark was painful enough for her to be able to justify this sudden, uncharacteristic breakdown.

Clark was rubbing small circles against her back, murmuring soothing words in her ear, but she didn't hear any of it. She just relished in the feeling of safety she felt right there with him. It occurred to her faintly that this was probably what she had sensed in when she'd been unconscious. The warmth and safety she had credited to her extensive sleep had more than likely been Clark himself.

After a few minutes, she finally managed to regain her composure, wiping impatiently at her eyes to clear away the tears. She pulled back a bit, just far enough to be able to look him in the eyes. He smiled slightly.

"So," he said softly. "I take it you remember?"

She laughed in spite of herself. Instead of answering, she slipped her hands up to his face and pulled him down to her, capturing his lips in an urgent kiss. He complied all too willingly for a few minutes before pulling away and leaning his forehead against hers.

"I guess you made it in time," she whispered.

"I almost didn't," he replied, running a hand along her jaw line.

"What happened?" she asked. "What happened after I was knocked out?"

"I managed to convince Jor-El that you were too important to have your memory erased." Clark shrugged with a smile. "It wasn't as hard as I'd thought, actually." He made a face. "I think he may like _you_ even more than he likes _me_."

"Not surprising, Smallville," she smiled.

Clark smiled widely at the use of his nickname and pulled her back to him, resting his cheek against the top of her head. He decided to forgo going into detail about the terror he'd felt when he had run into the Fortress and seen her lying there. Or the way he had argued with Jor-El, pleading him to let her remember. The only thing that bugged him was how easily Jor-El had given in. Usually he didn't change his opinion. He wondered what that meant.

Clark thought about that silently. He remembered speeding in to see Lois lying unconscious on the ice, a glowing light increasing around her.

"Lois, no!" he'd shouted, lurching towards her. "Jor-El, stop!"

"_I am removing her memory, my son. This is what you wanted."_

"Not anymore," he had said firmly, his hand wrapping itself around one of Lois' smaller ones. "I've changed my mind. I want her to remember."

"_This would not be the first time you have chosen to interfere in the course of a human being's life."_

"I know that." Clark swallowed. "But this is different."

There had been a thick silence before Jor-El spoke again.

"_It is. The choice lies with you, Kal-El. Lois Lane does not have to lose her memory, but the choice is up to you."_

"She remembers," he answered, tightening his grip on her hand. "That's all I want."

There hadn't been much conversation after that. Jor-El had seemed content to leave him with his thoughts, and Clark had taken Lois back to her apartment, staying there until she'd woken up again.

_Jor-El must have known she was different,_ Clark guessed as they swayed slightly. And she was. All his life, Clark had wanted nothing more than to find someone who made him feel normal. Someone who made him feel like everyone else. Lana had managed to make him feel that for a while. It was one of the reasons he'd been so convinced that they were meant to be.

But Lois didn't make him feel that way. Instead, she made him feel like what he _was_, was much better than normal could ever be.

Besides, with Lois around, normal was kind of overrated anyway.

Her yawn pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her in surprise.

"How can you be tired?" he asked incredulously." You slept for almost twenty four hours."

"I had a building dropped on me yesterday, Smallville," she pointed out. "Not to mention the fact that your invisible father abducted me so that he could hide the fact that you like to run around in tights."

He rolled his eyes at her and dipped down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I should go. You still need to rest."

Clark turned, ready to leave, but Lois' hand shot out and grabbed onto his. He turned to see her soft expression.

"Think you could stay a little longer?"

Clark smiled. He nodded and let her lead him over to her bed. She slipped back under her sheets and he climbed in after her. She didn't move far away from him like he half expected her to. Instead she stuck close, leaving no more than half a foot between them. His heart sped up a bit.

_Because she loves me,_ Clark thought with a smile. He draped an arm around her waist, completely content. Through the dark, he saw her bite back a grin.

"'Night Smallville," she whispered.

"Goodnight Lois."

* * *

Pancakes. If there was ever a great smell to wake up to, it was the smell of cooking pancakes. Well that, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. And fortunately, Lois was waking up to both.

She woke up with a ridiculously large smile. Climbing out of bed, she messed with her tangled hair for a moment before giving up completely. She looked like hell. Again. She took a quick shower and dressed before making her way out to the kitchen. Clark had his back to her, flipping pancakes on her stove. She watched as he would speed around the kitchen, popping up in one place for a second, and then showing up across the room the next.

When he stopped at the stove again, she crossed the room with a grin and spun him around. Her lips caught his, and she felt his hand on her lower back while his lips moved with hers.

_Best way to start the morning, hands down, _she thought as she pulled lightly on his lower lip.

Clark moaned, not even noticing the pancake batter that was dripping off the spatula in his free hand and onto his shoe.

Lois pulled away with a satisfied smirk. She tugged on the collar of his dress shirt.

"You left," she accused.

"Just to shower and change," he shrugged. "We still have work, you know. Tess is going to reconsider promoting us."

"Work," she said, her eyes widening. "Right."

She moved out of his embrace and walked over to the apartment door.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked curiously.

"Getting the paper," she replied. "We should have _some_ idea of what's been going on. Speaking of which, did you even leave the apartment?"

"Once," Clark admitted sheepishly, scraping the pancakes onto a plate. "There was a robbery. Superman stopped it."

He looked up at Lois' startled gasp.

"Oh…my God," she said, staring down at the paper. "I can't believe we missed _this_."

"What is it?" he frowned. "What happened?"

Lois silently flipped the paper around to show him the front page.

**Missing Billionaire Returns!**

Complete with a photo of Lex Luthor outside the Daily Planet.

Clark paled. "_What?_"

"You can say that again," she muttered. "God knows what he's been up to while he's been 'missing' these past few months, and now he just turns up out of the blue?"

"No, Lois," Clark shook his head. "This _really_ isn't good. Look, before Lex disappeared, he found out my secret. And he wasn't exactly accepting."

Lois looked thoughtful. "You think he'll make the connection between you and Superman?"

"I don't know. But I also don't know what happened to him after he found out. It's possible he doesn't even remember."

"Clark the only way someone would forget something like this is if they got amnesia or they ran into Jor-El. It's an awful big risk to assume that he doesn't remember." Lois looked doubtful. "What if-?"

Clark cut her off. "You know what? We'll deal with it later. If Lex is going to do something, it won't be the second he shows up. Right now, I don't really care."

"What _do_ you care about?"

Clark grinned and pushed a plate towards her. "Breakfast, and you."

* * *

Lois poured herself some coffee, ignoring the stupid grins and whispers of her co-workers that had been following her all day. Unfortunately, the reason for their ridiculous behavior was plastered all over the office.

Whoever was responsible for that was _so_ getting their ass kicked.

Apparently, someone had seen her and Clark in the alley right after she had been pulled from the ruined building and snapped a picture. A picture that they had decided was good enough to submit to the Daily Planet. The offending picture showed her and Superman having what looked like a very intimate moment. So naturally, everyone in the office had jumped to the same conclusion.

"Oh my God!" Lois snapped when two women looked over at her and giggled. "For the last time, I am _not_ sleeping with Superman!"

She turned to walk away and almost ran into a grinning Clark.

"I wouldn't say so," he smirked. "At least, not in more than the technical sense."

"Smallville," she said in surprise. She worked her face back into a controlled expression. "Oh. It's that stupid article that ran yesterday. Now everyone seems to think that I've got a thing going with Metropolis' newest hero."

"Don't you?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe," she grinned. "But I didn't sleep with him. You should know, Smallville."

"Maybe I forgot," he said innocently.

"Trust me," she leaned in slightly, invading his personal space. "You'd remember."

"Highlight of my life?" he guessed, quoting her. He didn't back down from her gaze, smiling back serenely instead.

"Damn straight." She walked around him, grinning ear to ear.

"On that note," Clark started, clearing his throat slightly. "I was thinking that maybe you'd want to go get dinner later tonight."

"Clark Kent," she smiled. "Are you asking me out?"

"Lane." A man she vaguely recognized from the business section paused at her and Clark's desks. "You're wanted in the boss' office."

Lois exhaled dramatically. "Why is Tess only going to chew _me_ out? You were gone too."

Clark grinned. "She has a thing for me."

"Can't imagine why," Lois scowled and made her way upstairs.

"Look Tess," Lois said as she pushed open the office doors, "if you're calling me in to yell at me I have a perfectly good explanation for –"

She stopped short. Lex Luthor grinned at her over the desk.

"Gee Tess," Lois said flatly. "You've changed a lot in two days."

"Lois Lane," Lex said. "It's been a while."

"Not long enough," she retorted. "Not that I'm complaining about her absence, but where's Tess?"

"She's taking the day off. I wanted to talk to you." He held up her Superman article. "I gotta say, not bad, for a college drop out."

Lois didn't answer, keeping her face indifferent.

"Where did you find this guy, anyway?"

"He found _me_." She tilted her head. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Call it curiosity. It's what usually happens when a guy who dresses in tights and flies shows up." Lex leaned forward over the desk. "You wouldn't happen to know who this guy is, would you?"

"No."

A slow grin spread across his face. "But you wouldn't tell me anyway."

She smiled grimly. "No, I wouldn't. Would _you_ tell _me_ where you've been for the past few months?"

He stared at her in silence for a few minutes. "Lois, I look outside this office and you know what I see? I see that things are changing. My time away has given me some perspective, and I can guarantee that there are going to be a lot more changes taking place in Metropolis very soon now that I have control of Luthorcorp again."

Lois raised an eyebrow. So it was 'time away' now, rather than 'missing'? "So what? Are you taking back the Daily Planet?"

"I have better things to do than watch over a newspaper," he said dryly. He tossed the papers back down on the desk. "I'll be keeping an eye out for your Superman articles, though."

She shook her head. "Bye, Luthor."

Turning on her heels, Lois exited the office, in time to hear Lex call, "I'll see you soon, Lane."

* * *

"Well so much for dinner," Lois sighed as they made their way up to the loft of the barn.

"You're the one who wanted to stay at work and finish that story," Clark pointed out lightly. "At least Lex left. Are you sure that he didn't say anything suspicious?"

"If he still knows about you, he didn't let on," Lois shook her head, sitting down on the couch.

"I wonder why he wanted to talk to _you _then."

"Jealous?" She attempted to lighten the mood.

"Worried," he replied honestly.

"Don't be, Clark." She smiled up at him.

He smiled back, and leaned down to press his lips against hers. He reached out to steady himself, placing his hands on the back of the couch on either side of her, efficiently trapping her in place. Lois didn't seem to mind at all as her fingers knotted in his hair. When he deepened their kiss however, she pushed him away gently.

"You know, despite how frequently as we've been making out, I do still expect you to take me out at some point, Smallville," she teased, running her thumb over his lips. She wasn't sure how to enforce that particular request though; it wasn't like she _minded_ kissing Clark Kent.

Clark grinned and opened his mouth to reply.

"Kal-El," a voice interrupted.

Clark straightened up, unabashed. A friendly smile appeared on his face. "Hi John."

John nodded towards Lois. "Lois Lane," he greeted. "It's good to see you completely healed."

He turned back to Clark. "I came by to congratulate you on what you've been doing lately. Superman. It's a nice title. Your parents would be proud."

Lois grinned appreciatively, and Clark said, "It's a lot to live up to."

"I doubt you'll have any problems with that. You should hear some of the talk down at the station. People are relieved to have you around the city. You've taken a big step Kal-El. Your destiny is finally being realized." John paused before saying, "But I feel I should warn you; because of recent events, life is about to get a lot more dangerous. For the both of you."

"In other words, things are about to get interesting," Lois smiled.

"Oh good," Clark said sarcastically. "'Cause life has been pretty boring up until now."

John raised his eyebrows at the young couple. "I'm sure that you'll be able to handle it. Now, I have to go. But I hope to see the two of you soon. Good luck to the two of you."

Both Clark and Lois said their goodbyes and watched John leave. Getting to her feet, Lois walked over to the barn's window and looked out at the growing dark. She turned back to Clark.

"Think he's right? About the danger, I mean?"

Clark shrugged, slipping his arms around her waist. "Now that we're a couple, I wouldn't doubt it."

She raised her eyebrows playfully. "Oh, we're a couple now?"

He smiled. "I won't tell anyone if you don't."

"Who are you kidding, Smallville?" she grinned, slipping a hand around the back of his neck. "You're going to want to tell everyone."

"Can't argue with that," he agreed as she tilted her head up to his.

_Danger or not, this is worth it_, he thought as he kissed her. Maybe this new part of his life wouldn't be so tough now that he had Lois with him. After all, it was because of her that he was Superman, Metropolis' new hero in the first place.

Lois made a small noise of protest when he pulled away. He smiled at that, despite his conflicted expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked breathlessly.

"Someone needs my help," he said apologetically.

She smiled and pulled away. "Come back soon, Smallville."

"I'll be ten minutes," he promised. He paused to look at her. "You sure you can live with the frequent disappearances?"

Before she could respond, he was dressed as Superman. He bent down and kissed her briefly before shooting off through the open window towards Metropolis.

Lois leaned against the window frame, staring after him. A slight smile played at her lips. "See you around, Superman."

Yeah. She could live with this.

* * *

Oliver paused on his way from his car as he saw Clark and Lois' embrace in the barn. He watched Clark fly out the window, leaving a small sonic boom in his wake. He shook his head, suppressing a smile. The Justice League business could wait, he supposed. He turned to leave.

Where he almost bumped into a stunned Chloe Sullivan, who stood by her car, her jaw hanging open. She had clearly seen the whole interaction that he had just witnessed.

"Chloe," he said pleasantly. "You're back!"

Chloe's jaw moved soundlessly, her eyes flicking from the barn to Oliver. "Were they–? Was–? And did he–?"

Oliver grinned. "Yeah. _So_ much you've missed."

He placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's take a walk Chloe. I'll explain what you missed. You see, a few days ago…"

**The End.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I really wanted to end this story in a kind of 'moving towards the future' way. Please tell me what you think; whether it's about the chapter or the story in general. I can't wait to hear feedback. Thanks again to everyone. :)**


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